Growing Pains
by Montik
Summary: Kagome gets a lesson in demonic growth spurts. Sesshoumaru learns more about his brother\'s human pack member Kagome. Their adventures draw them together in the best of ways.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:The characters of InuYasha are not mine, they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz Media. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

A young girl's sigh echoed the peaceful morning air of the forest. Her traveling companion had yet to wakeup and was stilled curled safely in the hood of her cape, his bushy auburn tail curled about him for extra warmth. They had left a nearby village about half an hour earlier to make their way back to Edo. The road they were traveling was quiet and less traveled so they wouldn't have to bother with avoiding merchant wagons and soldiers on the more traveled routes.

She took a moment to pay attention to her surroundings to ensure no enemies were near. She had taken up training with Kaede since her return to the feudal area and her spiritual senses and abilities were now developed quite well. In the near forest she could sense nothing but the benign auras of nearby wildlife.

A shift in her cape broke her concentration and she stopped walking for a moment to turn and peek at her traveling companion. Groggy green eyes peered back at her as they rapidly blinked away sleep.

"Morning." She greeted cheerfully.

The little kitsune smiled as he stretched and transfered himself to his perch on her shoulder and nuzzled his cheek against hers.

"Morning Kagome." He managed to return through a rather loud yawn.

Shippou opted to stay in the village with Kagome after she returned from her era. He still went once a year to the kitsune testing grounds to show off his ever growing skills in illusion. Traveling to neighboring villages with Kagome when she went to help heal injured or sick villagers was common place these days. Inuyasha usually stayed behind to protect Edo so Shippou always went with to help navigate and keep away from danger by using his youkai senses, even though Kagome could take care of herself.

He quickly took a test sniff of the air and looked at their surroundings to ensure everything was safe. Something caught his notice as he used well trained muscles to twitch pointed ears a minute amount to better here the disturbance.

He crinkled his brow in confusion not knowing exactly what to make of the noises. "Kagome?" He pointed out to the forest with a tiny finger around the ten o'clock position from where they were standing, "What do you sense off in that direction. Somethin' sounds weird..", He trailed off at the end leaving his companion a little worried about her normally playful traveling partner's change in demeanor.

Kagome quickly stretched out her senses in the direction Shippou indicated. She figured it must be pretty far off the path since she had already checked the immediate area. About a half-mile away she sensed a larger concentration of youki. Her brow crinkled to match her companions expression as she stared off into the woods.

She honed in on the area to see what exactly could draw such and odd combination of wild lesser youkai to one place. Somewhere in the mix but slightly away from the others she found a strangely familiar presence. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was familiar about it since it was so small. Pulling her bow from her shoulder and checking the small wakizashi blade at her side she took a step off the path into the forest to go see what was going on.

"What does it sound like Shippou? Do you smell anything familiar?", Kagome whispered to her companion, not wanting to alert their unknowing prey.

Tiny claws clutched onto the haori cloth beneath him as he hunkered down bunching his muscles in preperation for attack. "It's downwind so I can't smell much but is sorta sounds like a mix of a bunch of youkai. They're definetly worked up about something to be making so much noise."

They crept on quiet feet the entire way through the forest. The process was slow since they had to take care to avoid thick brush and anything that could cause undue noise in their approach.

Kagome stopped her approach around twenty feet away hoping to remain unnoticed by the preoccupied throng of youkai. She narrowed well-trained eyes trying to discern what had them so enamored. She caught flashes of white through the small openings in the wall, a little bit of black. Maybe armor? She thought.

Shippou stilled on Kagome's shoulder and she peeked out of the corner of her eyes in question. She saw him quickly motion for her to shoot into the throng as he pulled out a leaf and his toy snake from his vest.

She nodded in answer and expertly notched an arrow aimed it into the swarm. She took a moment to imbue it with as much power as she could hoping to get most out of the way before they were noticed. The arrow-tip glowed a very faint blue just as Kagome took aim to shoot at the thicker side of the circle andloosed her arrow on the unsuspecting youkai.

A quarter of the throng disintigrated in a flash of blue light and loud pained screeches. Kagome darted her eyes about quickly for the next best target and prepared another arrow as some of the wild creatures turned on them in an effort to protect whatever food source they were hiding.

Shippou sprung into action when he saw the arrow fly. Quickly inacting his simple, but hopefully effective strategy. He held his leaf and toy snake together with a shout of, "Fox Magic!" The snake shot through the opening and coiled it's large body around the prone form in the center of the swarm and hissed threateningly at the nearest youkai.

Kagome sidestepped an oncoming attack and loosed her next spiritual arrow at the oncoming youkai. Her and Shippou had worked out a strategy together in their free-time at the village and both immediately went through the familiar motions of inacting it against the blood thirsty horde coming upon them. Shippou carefully leapt from shoulder to shoulder using his foxfire to keep the attackers far enough away and herding them into a line in front of Kagome so she destroy them expiditiously with spiritual energy.

An exhausting ten minutes later all of the youkai had been destroyed or driven off and the priestess and tiny kitsune stood panting with their backs turned to the previously assaulted clearing. The transformed snake that was guarding their charge fell to the ground reverted to it's toy form. A vicious snarling alerted them to both the unhappiness and inhuman nature of whatever they had just saved.

Curiousity compelled them to look upon the beast as the slowly rotated to face the clearing. Shippou immediately leapt up into a tree to a high branch and clutched to it for dear life. A breath caught in Kagome's throat as she gazed upon the snarling, angry, red-eyed, prone, and in immense pain (if the writhing was any clue) form of Sesshoumaru. Blood was crusted to his skin at the junctures his armor and his claws were dug deep into the soil fisting handfuls of dirt in an attempt to abate the pain he was in, though he showed no outwards signs of injury from claw, bite, or sword.

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it! Come back for the next chapter. I 3 reviews!

MontiK


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome slowly and as calmly as possible layed her bow on the ground and her messenger bag with her healing equipment beside it. She held her hands before her palms up in surrender and began lowering herself to the ground. Knowing from the state of his eyes that his baser instincts were control she hoped that making herself appear small and unthreatening would make the beast before her feel more at ease and calm him down.

Her assumptions were correct as the dangerous snarling abated to a low growl. She inwardly cheered. Crisis avoided... for the moment.

"Sh..Shippou?", her quivering voice carried through the clearing to the equally quivering kitsune in a tree. "What's wrong with him?", she asked uncertainly. She had no idea what unseen force could lay out such a powerful being with no outward sign of attack and she could tell that the blood on him was somehow caused by the abrasive rubbing of his armor. Poison was out of the question because she knew already that he was immune to such.

Shippou carefully looked over the daiyoukai from a distance on his safe perch. He had seen something like this in a lesser form when he was still with his father and figured this must be the same thing but a later stage. Now just how did he go about explaining it to Kagome? Take a leaf from Inuyasha's book and be blunt about the whole thing.

"Uhh... He's growing", the uncertain voice of the kitsune quivered in fear. True Sesshoumaru was not in direct danger because his condition was technically normal. That did not mean, however, that they were not in danger since in this state he would have the lovely disposition of an angry, wounded animal.

Blinking a few times in surprise and confusion. The sarcastic voice in her head seemed to be ranting on about exactly how much that particular statement explained. Her own voice followed suite, "Please elaborate?"

The daiyoukai seemed to have calmed down a little more as the nearby intruders on his solitude seemed to be interested only in conversing and not eating him in his weakened state. His growls were gone and now replaced with heavy exhausted pants and periodic pained grunts.

Shippou carefully tried to compose himself now that Sesshoumaru wasn't growling angrily and searched his mind for a proper analogy to explain this to his young friend. "Uuhhm..", he drawled out for a moment, "Do you remember when you mentioned your brother Souta and you said his muscles hurt because he was growing?"

Understanding dawned on the little priestess. That would explain the writhing pain... kinda. But not the bleeding or why he was particularly in SO MUCH pain. So she voiced her question aloud.

"Well.. for humans they grow little by little over years and years. But Daiyoukai and some higher youkai grow alot different." Shippou took on a studious expression as he regaled Kagome with his knowledge. "I saw an inu pup go through it once when I was still with my father. What happens is instead of growing slowly like humans demons grow rapidly in about a week but then they stop growing, sometimes for hundred of years depending on the stage their in." He paused for a moment in thought.

"But.. Sesshoumaru already looks pretty old", his young voice took on a contemplative air, "The older the demon the more painful the growth spurt and the less likely they are to survive because they're so vulnerable to attack. He's probably around eight hundred years old, judging by how it looks like he's sprouting a second tail."

Kagome nodded to herself as she mulled the information over in her mind. That explained quite a bit. The swarm of youkai looking for a free meal, the pained grunts, the nasty disposition, and probably the blood. He was growing rapidly and heavy armor tended to not be so forgiving on enlarging figures, it must have been digging pretty far into his skin to draw blood. She still had some other questions in mind but she had a feeling they might be there to watch him for a while so she could ask later.

She spoke with a new confidence now that she had a grasp on understanding the situation. "He can't take off his armor can he?"

Shippou shook his head, "These things come on pretty sudden. He probably didn't have time before it started and I don't think he can even move freely."

Kagome nodded again with determination sparking in her eyes. She had to get his armor off so it would stop hurting him and then they would stay and keep him safe until he was back to normal and could defend himself. She hooked the strap to her healing bag around her shoulder and started to crawl on her belly toward Sesshoumaru.

When she saw him stiffen and show his teeth in warning she slowed her approach. At this moment she wished nothing more than for that inner sarcastic voice of hers, that was currently singing "You're so stupid" to the tune of _I'm so pretty_, would just shut the hell up. When she was a little more then an arms length away from him she stretched out her hand palm up and offered it to him, much like she would a strange dog.

He leaned forward slightly, the muscles around his eyes tightened in a wince when the movement aggravated his aching spine. His teeth still bared, warning her against sudden movement, he tentatively sniffed at her hand. After a tense moment he recognized the scent and darted a flat tongue from his mouth and flicked it across her fingers in acceptance. Immediately afterward he dropped his head back to the ground and clutched the dirt with fresh vigor as pain wracked his body again.

Kagome sighed silently in relief, now she was out of most of the danger as long as she was cautious. Now she had to get him to trust her enough to let her take off his armor before it embedded itself in his skin.

Slowly rolling onto her back and never taking her eyes from the daiyoukai's prone form she scooted her body parallel to his, bearing her stomach in a sign of trust and submission. Shippou's strangled whimpers could be heard from his hiding place in his tree as he tried to keep quite for Kagome's safety.

The little kitsune bit his lip against a yelp that quelled to a rather loud whimper when he saw the large clawed hand reach out to the priestess' beared belly. To his relief the hand stopped at resting heavily against her white-cloth-covered torso and Sesshoumaru leaned up to snuffle his nose against her once again accepting her broken inu body language. He layed his head back down again, his faced pressed to her side as he took in shallow breaths and all the strength was drained from his body.

Kagome then gently picked his hand up for her belly, wincing slightly when she could feel the muscle and bone shifting and popping. She slid up into a sitting position on her knees and with slow movements she slid her hand over his armor looking for the ties. After untieing the top part of his armor she went about the task of trying to take it off of him. She soon realized there was almost no way to get his armor off without jostling him too much while his left arm was encased in metal spikes.

"Shippou?", Kagome asked quietly after she thought about the situation for a moment. "Could you come down here?", she peeked up to the branch he was hiding on to see him shaking like a leaf and looking at her like she had lost her mind. "Just for a second... I promise." She reassured him.

Shippou gulped and reluctantly leapt down from his perch. He took hesitant steps towards Kagome while wringing his hands. When he reached her he hid behind her back and poked his head out to see her. "wh.. what do you need?", he asked in a quivering whisper.

Kagome gave him a reassuring smile. "I need your help...", she grunted with the effort of trying to pull Sesshoumaru's body off the ground, "I need you to use your fox fire to melt through the spikes on his armor, so I can get his arm out." Sesshoumaru's limp form was successfully hoisted sideways onto Kageome's lap allowing Shippou enough space to melt the armor without the molten metal falling onto the daiyoukai's skin.

Shippou nodded to her and started to take quivering steps out from behind her to Sesshoumaru's side. He took a moment to look over the pinched features of the regal face before him. He watched as the thin layer of sweat gathered into a bead and slid down the wrinkled brow. As the entrancing descent of the salty droplet passed over slitted eyes Shippou couldn't help but be caught in the pained crimson gaze looking back at him.

A tiny hand reached out to pat Sesshoumaru's shoulder. He spoke in a tiny quivering voice laced with more worry than fear, "i... it's gonna be okay... We'll take care of you..." Shippou watched the pain swirl and meld into acceptance in the daiyoukai's gaze before his eyes shut tight again in a fresh bout of pain.

Shippou looked past Sesshoumaru's head, that was now resting against Kagome's forearm, to look up at his young friend. He saw her give him a nod and then he quickly began to gather concentrated foxfire between his palms.

The blue flame stayed smaller then a quarter in the Kitsune's hands but the heat was concentrated enough to melt the steel armor. He carefully held it up to a thin point on the bar and watched it slowly turn to a cherry red color. As it started to turn more a a yellow color he carefully blew the molten metal away and to the ground before it had a chance to remeld with itself again.

As soon as Shippou separated the pieces of armor Kagome could feel the armor loosen about his torso. She reached back and shoved one half of the armor away from him and then layed him back down to take the heavy front piece away from him. Kagome winced as she took in the blood lightly staining his haori from the pressure wounds.

"Shippou? Could you go get some water from the stream we passed earlier?"

Kagome heard and enthusiastic, "Yea!", as the kitsune detached the empty bamboo containers from their ties on her bag and ran off to do as he was bid.

A pained grunt came from her patient drew her attention back to him. She quickly started on the ties to his waist armor and carefully slid it from underneath him when she was done. After he was loosed from all of his constricting armor she started to untie his hakama and haori. Bandaging was going to be a delicate affair since she couldn't move him very much. By the time she opened his haori and shimmied his hakama down a few inches lower on his hips so the dry cloth wasn't rubbing against the open wounds Shippo returned from the spring.

With gentle hands she washed the wounds and layed clean strips of cloth over his chest and waist for bandages. Shippo had started making camp on his own earlier and by the time she was done it was close to sunset. Sitting down beside the small fire she gratefully took the smoked fish from beside the fire with a nod to Shippo in thanks. They would be here for a while if Shippo was right, maybe now would be a good time to ask him more questions about what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome sighed after she swallowed her last bite of fish. The fire danced merrily in the dim, hazy light of dusk casting shadows over the grass and onto the trees. Knowing the day they had Kagome was sure Shippou would be tired and nod off early, but she was just too curious to wait that long to ask more questions about their new ward's condition.

As the little kit lazily stared at the hypnotizing flames, eyes drooped slightly, he almost missed Kagome calling to him.

"Shippou?" She called again.

"Hmm?" Shippou hummed in return while crawling from his spot on the grass into her warm lap and curling up.

Kagome started to pet his hair absentmindedly, pulling little tangles from his pony tail. "About what you were saying earlier. You said you could tell Sesshoumaru was pretty old because of his second tail?" Remembering that she hadn't noticed she peeked to see if she could see this second tail as well. Sure enough next to his hip was a pink appendage, slightly fuzzy with a soft, downy, baby-like fur. From time to time it would twitch or jump in response to the obvious pain he was in. "And you said you've seen this before? Will you have to go through it? And there's stages? How many?"

Shippou laughed a little at her very child-like bout of curiosity. He'd always taken things like this for granted but he could see how it would be fascinating to a young human.

"First thing," he yawned as he sat up, sure he wouldn't get the chance to sleep until he answered her questions. "I went through this a few years before I met you... and, well.. you won't have to worry about the next one, it won't be for a long while." He ended solemnly, he never did like to bring up that someday he would be without Kagome.

She nodded in return, understanding that he meant she wouldn't live long enough to see it. Though it was a strange thought to know all her life Shippou would look just like he was today she didn't dwell on it. If all her youkai friends were able to look past her mortality and treasure the small time they had together she wouldn't taint it by being melancholy over something unchangeable.

Shippou trudged on, eager to get his Z's. "I saw this once with a little Inugami, about my size and age. The younger the youkai the shorter the growth spurt and the less painful, so he was only hurting for a day or so but pa explained to me it gets worse when you're older. There are different stages at different times between every type of youkai. Sometimes the number of them even varies in individual youkai. Usually families are similar in times and numbers transformations though, too." He stopped for breath, formulating his next string of thoughts. "When they're younger they have parents, family, a pack to watch over them during this time. But once they're older most make youkai are alone until they make their own packs. So they don't have anyone to watch over them when the growth spurt hits them, it makes it hard to survive it. It's also part of the reason there are so few youkai even though we live longer. He's lucky we found him here..,"Shippou paused and scratched his head thinking over how to talk about the next part. Kagome always was on the modest side so this could get touchy.

"The uh.. that second tail. Inu grow a second one when they're.. uh.. of adult age?" He ventured uncertainly hoping she would get the slight innuendo. Humans were way too modest sometimes...

She stared at him blankly. Nope she was definitely lost. Damn.

"The males grow a second tail as a way of showing their... mated status? Uhm.. it grows when they're.. ya know.. old enough to make puppies?"

Understanding dawned on Kagome's features. She mouthed a wide 'O' before blushing and unconsciously scooting a little further from Sesshoumaru as if he'd suddenly come down with a wicked case of the cooties.

Shippou giggled at her silliness and continued, "When they find the right person, to be their mate or wife, the tail detaches and stays with their chosen one. It's a way for the male to always be with his female because he can still feel it even though it's not attached. I've heard, if given enough time, the tail can become sentient and see to the perceived needs of it's owner's mate all by itself."

Kagome took a more pensive look at the small appendage now, it was so small, unassuming, and reminded her of a puppy's tail. That such a small thing could mean so much, it was a striking thought. Then there was the romantic aspect that not only would youkai choose to spend forever with someone, literally forever since the more powerful were immortal, but they would give up a piece of their body as well. And that their body grew and extra piece just for that reason. Despite herself Kagome felt a little jealous towards anyone who had that connection with their love.

Shippou silently started counting up Kagome's questions on his fingers and ticking them off as he thought of his answers. Finding all of them adding up and feeling much more tired than he was twenty minutes ago he turned to her, child like eyes wide and pleading.

"I think I got everything, can I go sleep now?" He emphasized his point with a wide yawn and Kagome laughed lightly at him.

"Of course, Shippou-chan," Kagome said warmly. She picked him up and laid him down in the soft bed made from her scrunched up cloak. "I'm gonna have to stay up and make sure nothing comes during the night. So you'll have to sleep alone tonight, I'm sorry."

Sleepily he nodded. He'd done a lot of growing so he could handle sleeping alone. Even so it didn't quite feel so lonely, her scent was all around him in the fabric and he feel into a deep restful sleep within seconds.

Kagome rustled around in her bag for a moment, pulling her percolator from it's confines. She'd brought a few cans of coffee when she'd packed before returning for the very last time to the feudal era. She'd preserved it carefully but still after so long only a little remained, and she knew she'd need the help to stay awake tonight.

Kagome carefully nestled the pot into the embers at the edge of the fire, hot enough to make the water boil but not enough to heat to pot too much to pick it up again. Gazing across the fire she watched the warm glow of the flames dance of Sesshoumaru's form. Thoughts drifting to what Shippou told her earlier she thought of what would have happened had they not found him.

He was so helpless, would those youkai they killed earlier have killed him? He didn't look like he was in any position to stop them when they came upon him... If he had died how would they have known? Would anyone have ever found him and given him a proper burial like he deserved? No... They would probably all think he was off doing something important, never to realize they would never see him again.

Eyes trailing over the slightly stained bandages on his torso and hips, she wondered if the growing took enough of his energy to hamper his healing. The cuts were taking an awful long time to heal up. He was shivering slightly despite the warm fire and the summer night air. Cobalt eyes roved over the planes of his chest, to his strong jaw, and up onto his face. She nearly jumped as her venturing gaze was met with the swirling crimson of Sesshoumaru's rather than the closed lids she had expected.

His eyes were wide and pained, his breath coming in harsher pants then before, and a cold sweat dampened his chest and brow. Worried, Kagome slowly made her way around the fire to his side, as not to startle him. She pressed her palm to his forehead and the intense heat beneath her hand frightened her a bit. She bustled around to grab her spare blanket from her pack, knowing he most likely felt freezing cold despite his true temperature.

* * *

Inside the confines of his mind Sesshoumaru could see into the outside world but do little to interact with it. His vision was hazed by the red of his inner beast, staining the world's true colors in a crimson hue.

Someone was there with him, he could hear the quiet whispers of their conversation. He felt fear then, were they friend or foe? Would he live to know the power he would gain from this stage in his life passing or would he die on the precipice of greatness?

Everything hurt. The slightest breeze on his over sensitive skin felt like nails being driven into his skin, pikes hammered into his joints. A dull aching all over his body became knife sharp at even the soft touch of a blade of grass. He felt cold, so cold. But even his bodies reaction to shiver was agonizing.

A shadow flitted off to his side somewhere and he moved his eyes to follow, trying to see who or what was there. At the touch of blessedly cool fingers on his brow he looked up into a worried Cerulean gaze. Sesshoumaru felt his worry fade in that moment, Kagome was there. Not some unknown foe but a loyal ally. He wanted to lean into the cool touch, so thankful for her presence was he.

Then she was gone and he was confused. But the weight of a blanket being pulled over him reassured him of her presence. His flaxen haired head was pulled to rest on the soft surface of her lap and gentle hand smoothed over his brow, pulling his bangs out of the way. The weight of the blanket ached for a moment but the warmth it soaked up from the surrounding fire eased his joints and made the fever more bearable. Sesshoumaru drank greedily when the bamboo container of water was put to his lips.

After his thirst was sated he closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of safety he had now that this small human watched over him. His head still cradled in her warm lap Sesshoumaru fell into a peaceful sleep and in his dreams he didn't feel the pain of his transformation.

* * *

Sleepily watching through half closed eyes Shippou noticed the tenderness with which Kagome cared for Sesshoumaru. She was always gentle with people, even more so when they were friends. She was behaving true to form. But somewhere in the back of his sleep hazed mind he knew she shouldn't be touching him so much, shouldn't even be letting him see her. Some long lost memory of someone telling him something. Something like Imprinting? Is that why she wasn't supposed to interact with him at this stage... He couldn't remember what the word meant, and he was too tired to think on it right then. So he fell back into a nice restful sleep, and stayed that way until morning.


	4. MadaraGumo

Vocab: Madara-Gumo – spotted spider. (The youkai in this chapter can be looked up at http : // www . obakemono . com/obake/jorogumo/ if your curious. It has a very interesting background) Sorry I fixed the link, just take out the spaces to use it.

A/N: I just wanted to say this story is canon with the end of the Manga(not anime). I forgot to state that earlier and I think it might have created some confusion. . Sorry

* * *

The next morning Shippou awoke bright and chipper. He rushed off to the stream, eager to show how big and strong he was by providing another meal of fish for breakfast.

Kagome yawned up at the morning sun, feeling the effects of the long night as her percolator was drained of the last of it's contents. Though Sesshoumaru was calm and slept most of the night his intense temperature had not abated. Kagome was starting to become more than worried. Was it normal for them to get this hot? It definitely wasn't safe for a human to stay like this so long. Hopefully it didn't effect youkai the same way.

Just as Kagome was contemplating Sesshoumaru's health Shippou came running back towards the camp fire, two fair sized fish held up in gleeful triumph. She grinned and praised his good work before proceeding with her query.

"Shippou, is it normal for him to have a fever like this?"

Brow furrowed Shippou reached forward to touch the daiyoukai's forehead. He pulled his hand back in surprise as he felt the scorching temperature of his skin and shook his head in confusion. "I'm not sure.. I've never seen this stage first hand, just heard about it. Either way I don't think it's good." Worriedly the kitsune wrung his hands while trying to think of a reason Sesshoumaru would have such an abnormally high temperature.

All day they went about a similar routine. Shippou would keep the water containers filled, when Sesshoumaru was awake they would make sure he drank some water, when they tried to offer him fish he wouldn't eat it. Kagome would keep a cold, damp cloth on Sesshoumaru's forehead and neck trying to quell his fever, sadly in vain. There was a small break where the little miko got about a two hour nap before she was called by a Shippou to the daiyoukai's aid again.

By the end of the day Shippou was dead tired and was dozing lightly on Kagome's cape again. Kagome too was tired but knew she needed to stay awake much longer as night was falling again. Sighing she put the percolator on the fire again, hoping for another uneventful night. She still wasn't sure exactly how long they would have to be there with Sesshoumaru, but at least there was the stream nearby so the didn't have to worry too much about dwindling provisions.

As night fell and the hues of violet and orange faded into the darkness of night dark clouds gathered to cover the sparkling stars. A distant rumble reach Kagome's ears and she cursed colorfully before getting up to snap some deadened branches from a nearby tree.

Knowing it was about to rain they needed some kind of shelter to protect them and the fire, but they still couldn't move Sesshoumaru because of the pain it would cause him. Taking off one of her heavy wooden sandals Kagome pounded the thick, dead sticks into the ground, effectively creating two post that she would drape a blanket from. She pulled the blanket off of Sesshoumaru and then draped it over the posts before taking smaller peg size sticks and smacking them into the ground to hold the blanket in a half tent position. It wasn't much, but it would do well enough as long as it didn't rain too hard and the water should bead onto the ground. The tent was situated over Sesshoumaru so he wouldn't have to move, and the fire was just out of the tent, allowing the persons dwelling in it to feel it's warmth but not close enough to burn the blanket.

A sleeping Shippou, still wrapped in Kagome's cape, now situated close to Sesshoumaru's side in the protection of their small shelter and Kagome sitting next to Sesshoumaru's head, she sighed in relief. Just as everyone was protected from the elements a slow drizzle had started, enough to dampen their surroundings but not completely douse the fire. Though, Kagome was sure the latter wouldn't last much longer now that the wood was wet.

The rain was usually nice and soothing, but stuck out here in it the rain was not nearly as nice. As Kagome scanned the area around them for what she was sure was the thousandth time she was distracted from her inner diatribe on the weather by miniscule shimmering line that looked like it lead to Sesshoumaru's foot.

Examining it closer she found it to be a tiny, silken thread, one end tied around his ankle and it appeared the thread was leading off towards the stream they'd been using for water and food.

An inkling feeling in her gut, Kagome went to investigate, taking her bow and arrows with her. She had no idea as to how something could have gotten that close without her notice unless it was something incredibly bad. When she reached the water's edge she was even more surprised to see the thread nestled into the rocks on the river bank before it disappeared into the water. No, anything living underwater with a string attached to an out of commission daiyoukai was not a nice thing. Kagome plucked an arrow from her quiver and used it to cut the thread, which immediately sizzled and coiled as if burned, telling her what ever it was had to have been demonic in nature.

Satisfied, she turned to go back to camp thinking the crisis avoided before she heard a hissing, bubbling noise from behind her. Just as Kagome turned the water rose up as something leaped from the water at her. Thrown on her back, her weapons landing not far away, she stared up into the grotesque face of her attacker.

A woman stood on the bank, hunched over like a beast ready to attack. Her skin was a dark purplish hue covered in thick coarse hairs and her many arms were spotted with deceptively alluring yellow and scarlet colors. Her jaw was wide, and as she opened it to hiss at Kagome pincers much like a tarantulas glistened with poison rather then the human like teeth one would have expected. Eight eyes stared back at Kagome's gaped expression, glaring with malevolent intent.

Without Preamble Kagome grabbed her bow from the ground jumped up and ran back in the direction of camp. She'd never encountered whatever it was and hoped maybe it had some attachment to the water and couldn't move too far away from it.

Much to her dismay as she reached the edge of their makeshift camp the creepy witch was still right on her heels. A stone's throw from the tent she spun, arrow notched at the ready, determined to protect Sesshoumaru just like she'd promised. The first arrow flew, wrapped in the light of Kagome's spiritual power and aimed at the witch's heart.

She veered to the right and the arrow landed with a distant _thud_ against a tree. The woman cackled while running back and forth, her geta making a slopping click against the wet ground whenever she walked and her legs moved at a creepily inhuman speed. "You think to stop me priestess?" The hag slurred as viscous poison dripped from her fangs.

Kagome didn't answer, she just readied another arrow an shot. The arrow was once again aimed for the heart but the strange woman dodged again, leaving Kagome frustrated and inwardly cursing.

Beady eyes turned to leer at Sesshoumaru's unconscious form. "Maybe, I'll have you as desert when Im done with him." She gurgled while laughing, "I'm going to wrap you up in a silken cocoon and then I'm going to take pleasure in eating your daiyoukai over there..," The creature took no time to think of why a Priestess was protecting a daiyoukai, it was just a coincidence that ended up in her getting two delicacies in one night. "I can taste the poison in his blood on the air..," she gloated. "By eating him I will be the most powerful Madara-gumo in Nihon! None shall be able to resist my poison!" She ended with a screeching his as the burn of purification powers made itself known in one of her arms.

While she gloated and leered at Sesshoumaru Kagome had taken advantage of her distraction and hit her square in the shoulder of her first arm with an arrow.

The spider woman reared back and hissed viciously into the night. "Wench!" She snarled, "You will not get away with this so easily!"

Kagome was slightly smug that she'd gotten the hag riled so easily but wasn't fool enough to let that go to her head. She notched another arrow and stood at the ready again.

The spider-woman's silken kimono tore open, leaving golden hued tattered bits of cloth strewn over the damp forest floor. With the cloth removed the furred skin beneath was revealed. It bubbled and boiled with crackling noises as it stretch from a human form into the bulbous shape of an arachnid's body, the rounded butt being pointed at the end with a stinger dripping the same poison as her mouth. The same spots adorned the rest of her body as did her arms, and were they not on such a vile creature Kagome would have thought they were beautiful.

In her rage the youkai spider woman charged forward without thought, intent on destroying the priestess who dare disrespect her so.

Another arrow flew. A flash of white hot holy powers brightened the darkened forest, but only for a moment, like thunder. With another deafening screech all the spider woman's plans at getting a meal that night were ruined. The arrow tip found it's mark in between her glistening pincers, it started at her mouth and then burned down in to the pit of the youkai's stomach.

Leaving a trail of bluish black blood behind her the Madara-Gumo fled, leaving Kagome, Sesshoumaru, and a sleeping Shippou once again alone in the forest.

Kagome had heard of Madara-gumo before. Spider like youkai that often tricked travelers so they could eat them. Most often the victims or targets were male from what she heard. Obviously Sesshoumaru was just to good to pass up even if there were people in her way. The fire was out now, doused by the rain. Despite how quickly the fight had felt it went she really had no idea how long it had gone one. It could have been hours for all she knew, with the moon obscured by the clouds Kagome had little to no sense of time.

Between exhaustion at getting next to no sleep the night before, and the rush of her exertion during battle fading Kagome was panting for breath and feeling dead tired. She plopped down under the slight shelter of the tent again, shivering in the cold air now that her clothes were damp, and hunkered down for a long night. Though she didn't regret her decision to stay with Sesshoumaru, as she would always wish to be there for a friend, she couldn't help but think this was going to be much more difficult than originally thought if every night like this.

She heard a pained grunt from her impromptu patient and set about tending to him again for the night.


	5. Reassuring Kitsunes

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews guys. I just want to point out one thing – If you're going to ask questions or anything like that please make sure you're logged in for the review or leave an email, I really hate cluttering up chapters with review responses . not that I don't like responding, review responses just aren't what you guys clicked to see.

To answer some questions I got: The spider wasn't causing the fever, that will most likely be explained in the next chapter. Spiders are generally nocturnal so she wanted to attack at night, the web could have been there sooner that that just when Kagome noticed it. Shippou didn't wake up because he just sleeps like a rock, more on that in this chapter.

Sorry again for the long A/N . Read on!

* * *

Morning came with it's bright, warm sunlight and birds welcomed it with their song. The dew clinging to the leaves was thicker, the only evidence left of the previous night's storm. For this Kagome was glad, she hoped her clothes would dry quickly in the warm light as well so she didn't fall ill as well. Between little sleep, being out in the wilderness, and being damp she was a case of pneumonia waiting to happen.

Kagome was hard pressed to find dry wood to start the fire again but she found some that was only a little damp, just dry enough to start a weak fire again. The wood sizzled and popped heavily as it ignited.

She was thankful that Shippou hadn't awoken during the fight the night before. If his bed wasn't tipped out from under him the little kitsune could sleep through just about anything. While Kagome knew he could very well hold his own in battle and was quite capable of standing against a foe with her she didn't always like bringing him into such things. To her he was still a child who should be able to do his chores and go play with the village children, to have a carefree life, but he almost always seemed to have the opposite.

Absentmindedly Kagome got up to go refill the water containers before Shippou awoke, but stopped herself on the edge of camp. Remembering the spider creature from the night before she wondered if it would still be there, lurking in the water they had been using for the past two days while they were unaware of her presence. If so they would have to figure out some way to leave. Going to the stream wasn't safe with her lurking and knowing an enemy was so close Kagome would never even be able to take the little naps she allowed herself during the day.

Still at least for that morning they needed water. The little they had left wasn't near enough to facilitate a journey of any length. Bow placed over her shoulder Kagome steeled herself and pressed on to the stream. Thinking on it she hoped the madara-gumo youkai only came out after dark, then they would at least be safe 'til night fall.

The rocky bank of the stream came quickly into view. To her relief there was nothing immediately in sight that could be deemed dangerous. No webs or silken strings of the spider youkai, no hissing noises, and the water wasn't boiling eerily like it had when the Madara-gumo appeared the night before. Smiling with relief as she reached the bank Kagome momentarily stretched out her aura, checking to be sure nothing lingered in the water, like a youkai poison, that would be dangerous for them to consume.

Once again she found nothing malevolent. Her mood now infinitely improved knowing they were safe at the moment she started humming while filling up the water containers. Come to think of it the area looked a little more lively than it had over the past few days. Maybe this was some kind of sign the spider was really gone? All the greenery shown brighter than the day before and there were more birds, the water even looked at tad clearer. Then Kagome thought of how they had escaped their first night there without attack from the spider. There was the large throng of lesser youkai that had been there when they first arrived. The Madara-gumo was intelligent but not overly powerful, it most likely would know it couldn't do well against that many foes. Thinking of that Kagome concluded the creature must have been waiting for the right time; waiting for a few days ensured the lesser youkai were chased off by herself and wouldn't be a problem and the rain the night before put the priestess at a disadvantage making it the best time to attack.

Sighing Kagome capped the containers and made a mental note to herself that she needed to be more on guard. While normally at least Sesshoumaru, even in this state, would have scented the foe and growled in warning things like rain dampened those senses until they were near useless. Her lapse had almost cost them dearly.

Cerulean eyes once more took in her surroundings as a precautionary measure before she would go off back to camp. This time her keen inspection picked up something, though. Down the bank, hidden amongst the dark greens of the brush there was something black, speckled with gold and red. Dropping everything save her weapons Kagome crept up to the spot. The creature wasn't moving, eerily so, and Kagome hoped this meant it was dead.

Not wanting to get too close Kagome used her bow to push aside the brush revealing the corpse of the madara-gumo from the night before. It had reverted to it's humanoid form. Black furred skin stained with purple, viscous, blood shone in the sunlight and the previously brightly colored spots were now slightly dulled with taint of death. Though, Kagome had spent years in the Feudal Era and was much less foolish and naive then when she had arrived, one must never take things at face value.

Carefully she wedged a foot under the hip of the face-down creature and flipped it over onto it's back to get a better look. The stench she released forced her to recoil and cover her mouth and nose with her hand. Now she was sure it was dead. Wide crimson eyes stared up at the sky lifelessly. Where there had been a mouth was now just a gaping hole glistening with partially coagulated blood. At the base of the neck the chest caved in in the shape of a neat line all the way down to the creatures navel, showing the path of Kagome's arrow through it's body the night before.

The pitter patter of frantic paws coming quickly towards her location prompted Kagome to look up. A wide-eyed Shippou barreled down the river bank towards Kagome. His tail bristled angrily and his posture spoke of bravado but the faint way his voice shook belied his fear.

"Kagome!?" He called frantically, relief evident on his face when he saw her standing there looking a little green around the gills but otherwise safe. "I smelled all the blood and I came as quick as I could." He hopped up onto her shoulder, panting from the sudden exertion. He'd been sound asleep when suddenly the clean morning air after the stormy night was tainted with the acidic stench of poisoned blood. Now seeing the body before Kagome he was sure it came from that, he buried his little nose in her hair to keep from having to smell it too much while so close. The pools of blood told him she'd just flipped it over which explained why there was suddenly so much blood scent on the air. The rain from the night before erased the youkai's trail from camp and traces of it's unmoved body from where it fell but turning it over had released all the bits of scent that had been covered.

Looking at the ugly thing Shippou could smell the faintly burnt flesh of purification powers on it too, telling him Kagome had killed it on her own. Now his pointed ears drooped sadly from their previously alert position, as did his tail, and his head hung in shame. He was supposed to be out there to help Kagome, using his superior senses to aid in keeping her out of trouble. But there he'd been, not a shout away and he'd slept like the dead while she fought. While the spider youkai he knew of weren't overly powerful if it had the chance to bite or sting her they'd be in a world of trouble because he was asleep and unable to help either her or Sesshoumaru in the time of crisis.

Sniffling he wrapped his arms around Kagome's neck and hugged her, ensuring himself that her presence was there as he started to apologize, sincerely contrite.

"Kagome I'm sorry, I should have stayed awake with you." Little clawed fingers clenched in her hair while his shoulders shook, "I promise I'll stay awake all night this time so nothing bad happens." Kagome patted his back while she walked away from the grizzly scene of the youkai's corpse. "Inuyasha would be so mad at me if I let anything happen to you," his timid voice then depreciated into a muddled bit of whimpers and things she couldn't understand because they were too interspersed with sniffles and hiccups.

Sitting down near their discarded water containers Kagome pried Shippou from her hair and held him to her chest, waiting for him to calm down a bit before she spoke.

"Shhh," she cooed soothingly. "Shippou it's alright. Everything turned out fine, and you're too little to fight all the time. I can han-" Kagome was cut of then by his outraged, teary glare.

"I am not little!" He stated emphatically, frantically wiping away his tears with one arm. "I'm more than twice as old as you and Miroku and Sango!" He sniffled again but kept his posture straight and his chest puffed out to show how big and strong he was, "and it's ME supposed to protect YOU, that's what I'm here for, you know!"

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle on the 'You're too little to fight' front she just nodded and kissed the top of his head. At least he wasn't upset anymore, she'd much rather have Shippou with a little extra bravado for the rest of the day than a sobbing kitsune. "You can still help me, though, Shippou." Kagome said while petting his hair. After she'd agreed with him he'd cuddled up to her chest and closed his eyes, soaking in her reassuring warmth.

At the prospect of still being able to help pointed ears perked up and big green eyes turned to stare at her hopefully. "Really?!"

"Mmhmm," Kagome hummed in agreement. "We don't want that youkai body to attract scavengers, so it needs to be buried. Could you do that for me?"

Leaping from her lap Shippou bounced off to go start digging a hole. He'd often times had to help Inuyasha with such tasks when the couldn't move fast enough from a battle field before they had to make camp so the gruesome sight didn't bug him much, and he could pull his shirt collar up over his nose for the time being. "Of course Kagome! Shippou on the job!" He tossed over his shoulder before disappearing behind a bush and Kagome could hear the scratch of claws against the ground.

Knowing Shippou would be safe now Kagome got up, gathering their water containers and made her way back to camp.

Red-hued eyes followed her progress once she was in sight. A clawed hand reached up towards the leg of her hakama as she walked to him and Kagome was pleasantly surprised to see that Sesshoumaru was regaining some of his abilities to move. Though moving one's hand a mere eight inches off the ground isn't much it was a far cry better than the day before. His fever had also abated, though he was still far warmer then was proper for either youkai or human he was no longer sweating and shivering as he had the day before. As she kneeled beside him she could see how the overly tense muscles twitched and writhed like little creatures beneath his skin; though the sight was a little gruesome she also knew it must be incredibly painful, like a charlie horse in every muscle of his arm all at once.

Gently Kagome placed his head into it's place on her lap and offered him a drink. When he was done, his eyes closed as he obviously tried to block the still present pain, she reached over and took the previously used arm. She rubbed her hands together to produce some warmth between them before gently touching his still convulsing bicep. Gentle nudges and pulls and well placed caresses coaxed the muscle into a relaxed state before Kagome moved down and up his arm, repeating the process until all the pain was gone and his arm was completely relaxed. Sesshoumaru groaned his approval and nudged his forehead against her belly, a faint smile curling thin lips and a small fang poking out.

Sesshoumaru had fallen asleep after receiving his massage, laying blissfully at piece in the Priestess Kagome's lap. He was able to lay unmoved and uninterrupted until night fall, when Kagome got up to insure some safety measures for their small camp.

She'd had all day to think about it, and though she wasn't as practiced as Miroku and Kaede at it she could erect a shield. She'd only seen it done for real once before: When Inuyasha was injured by his brother on the second attempt to take Tessaiga and they had him confined to a hut and hidden behind a barrier to make the hut invisible.

Kagome pulled six arrows from her quiver and placed them equal distances apart around the camp. Shippou was sitting quietly by the fire already, taking extra care not to make a sound and break her concentration. When they were all in place Kagome kneeled in the center, palms together, and chanted as she remembered Kaede instructing her to. Each of the arrows glowed faintly before a spark of energy touched each of them, connecting them for only a moment. The hairs on Shippou's tail stood up as he felt the faint brush of reiki as they were surrounded and the light faded from the arrows. Looking around to them it seemed as if nothing had changed, but hopefully to anyone outside the clearing would both smell, look, and feel completely empty and thus beneath anyone's notice.

They all slept peacefully that night confident in their safety because of the barrier. Kagome lay on her side next to the fire, twisted slightly so Sesshoumaru still used her lap as a pillow, and Shippou curled up next to her belly.

* * *

A/N: I'd like to just say a quick thanks to everyone for their sweet reviews :3 I always enjoy reading them. I'll be sure to explain the fever next chapter, as the only person in present company who knows why he had it will awaken then to explain it ^.^ Expect the next chapter soon. Ciao!


	6. Awakening

A/N: Sorry for the long delay on this chapter . I have plenty of good reasons I swear. Well frankly I was procrastinating on it, this was a particularly difficult chapter to write as I was trying portray Sesshoumau's still changing attitude after he'd gone through his maturity. I was also a bit worried.. I know a lot of readers were waiting rather excitedly for Sesshoumaru's 'unveiling' and I was so worried it wouldn't be up to par with what you all thought it would be and didn't want to dissapoint you. Obviously I got over it xD so here's you chapter(it's a bit longer than normal so hope that makes up for my lateness), have fun and read! I'll stop rambling now.

P.S. _Dokasou_ – is the japense name for Sesshoumaru's poison attack. I dont like repeatedly saying 'poison spray' so I use that name instead.

Chapter 6

Three days passed since the day Kagome erected the barrier around their camp. Every night she fortified it, making sure it would hold while she slept. The effort was well rewarded since they had yet to be bothered since the incident with the Madara Gumo.

Night had fallen again. Shippou lay sleeping curled next to the fire while Kagome sat near the edge of camp, Sesshoumaru's haori in her lap. Now that she had the time she set about mending the little tears and rips that accumulated over the time she'd been with him. Kagome wasn't sure how he was going to go about wearing his clothes when it came time to leave. Even from where she sat she would see how he'd obviously grown and they were a tad short on him.

She sighed while peering at the hem of his hakama, they looked like high waters on him. Then her eyes moved up, the wounds around his waist from his armor had finally healed. Then his bare chest, pale skin tinted orange in the fire light. The red markings that curved around his ribs seemed to dance along with the flames, a trick played by the darkness in the night. She blushed a bit, feeling like she was oogling him, then moved further up to see his sleeping face.

"Ahh!" Kagome shouted as she shot up from her spot. A thunk sounded and she plopped back down holding the top of her head, "Owww," she rubbed the sore spot where she'd hit a low branch.

Taking another look at Sesshoumaru she could see him wince, and pointed ears shivered as if in pain. "Sorry..," she whispered while scooting closer to him. She hadn't meant to be so loud but suddenly seeing golden eyes staring back at her after so long seeing vivid red was startling.

She reached forward and gently rubbed the tip of one of his ears soothingly between her thumb and forefinger. "Hey," she said quietly making sure not to hurt his ears again, "can you talk yet?"

A raspy, growling breath quivered through his chest as he grit his teeth before he nodded, "Yes," his voice sounded. His voice was strangely different, Kagome hadn't heard it often but she could tell it was oddly deeper than before. There was a slight growl rumbling just beneath the surface of the words too, inhuman as it was the sound was oddly attractive.

Kagome rubbed her cheeks trying to fight away another blush, apparently the modesty of the women in this era had rubbed off on her a bit during her stay.

Sesshoumaru struggled to raise himself up onto his elbows, he remembered all his time laying there and he'd do just about anything in that moment to just see the world from somewhere that wasn't on the ground. Obviously his body didn't agree. His insides had finally stopped moving, so that awful feeling like things were crawling underneath his skin had finally stopped but the residual ache left over was almost as debilitating. Luckily or unluckily, depending on if it were him or that roiling bit of instinct still nagging at the back of his mind, he had the priestess there to help him.

She took his elbow and took as much of the burden of his weight from him as she could and gently coaxed him to the place she'd previously occupied with his back against the small tree. When he was settled Kagome gently brushed her fingers over his forehead, it was both a soothing gesture and to check on his temperature since he was sweating a bit.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, still in a whisper.

Eyes pinched, Sesshoumaru's only response was a low growl. The sound wasn't so much threatening as it was frustrated so Kagome wasn't frightened by this. The aching in his muscles was more than bothersome. Each time he took a breath the daiyoukai felt sharp stabs of pain, even just shifting a bit was excruciating. Thinking that stretching may alleviate some of the pain he started by flexing his hand, fanning his fingers and then curling them again.

Kagome was quiet for most of this time, allowing his peace as she was not sure what mood he would be in. After only a few moments she realized what he was doing and hesitantly reached to help him. "Here let me..," she trailed off uncertainly.

Gold hued eye slanted at the young priestess and he allowed her to take his hand. Her small hands kneaded his large one, warm fingers pulled and rubber just lightly, effectively loosening up the muscles and taut tendons into a more relaxed state. Sesshoumaru very nearly purred at the relaxing feeling, and he couldn't stop the slight reflexive twitch in his big toe. Overall the experience was relaxing as his body instinctively followed suit and calmed as well, until he felt the tall-tale twinge in his hand. First the little twitch in the palm of his hand then a warm liquid rush coursing up through his fingertips.

Just as soon as Sesshoumaru realized what was happening her wrenched the hand from Kagome's grasp with a harsh, "Stop!"

Thinking she did something wrong she began to apologize profusely. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to hur -," her rambling was brought to a halt as she saw the reason why Sesshoumaru had so abruptly wrenched his hand away.

He held his hand clutched to his chest, safely away from her, but that wasn't what was surprising. On his chest little droplets of green liquid slowly accumulated, pooling and then running down his chest. A sweet scent that reminded Kagome of sakura blossoms wafted from the cruel looking liquid. She knew it was his poison, but the image was deceptive. Despite it's corrosive touch his skin was left unmarred and rather than the neon color Kagome normally associated with his body's toxins it was a deep emerald shade that shown with flashes of gold from the firelight. Her mesmerized stair was interrupted by Sesshoumaru's voice.

"It seems for a time I will be unable to control the release of my dokasou. It would be best you refrain from touching my hands any further." With that he reached over with his unaffected hand and plucked the partially mended haori from her lap and used it to wipe the viscous poison from his chest.

Kagome immediately began to protest, "Wait! I just finished mending that. You're gonna..," she paused looking at the still intact cloth, Sesshoumaru staring back at her with a clearly amused expression. "How did it..," she trailed off taking the haori into her hands and hesitantly touching the spot where the poison was. She felt nothing, no burning, no searing pain, and even the cloth only looked and felt as if someone poured water on it and it was quickly evaporating as well. The young priestess turned to stare at Sesshoumaru in both confusion and wonder.

"It is the nature of the cloth," Sesshoumaru answered as he took the haori back into his hands.

Kagome huffed at the vagueness of his answer but didn't ask any more.

Silence reigned in the lull of there conversation for a few long moments before Sesshoumaru turned his silver head to the night sky, staring up at the moon. The contrasting reflection of the firelight and the moon's glow on his irises made his eyes look eerie, the image he portrayed then personified his inhumanity.

"The hour grows late," he spoke, startling Kagome with the low growling baritone. He turned from the moon to look back at her, "I require more rest. You wish to set out in the morning, yes?"

Kagome nodded suddenly feeling a bit like a minx caught before a hunter.

"I will escort you back to your village then. Sleep." with that he leaned his head back against the tree, asleep.

With that the young priestess curled beside the fire on her cape next to Shippou. Really she was over joyed he was awake and everything seemed to be fine but it was slightly awkward. He didn't act angry but he didn't act happy to see them either and Kagome wasn't sure if that was just him or a strange side effect of the maturation period. Though he seemed more open with his expression now he was even more unreadable because of his unpredictability. With those uncertain thoughts she slipped into the land of dreams.

Unbeknownst to both daiyoukai and priestess Sesshoumaru's freshly grown second tail crept up to her before laying innocuously over her leg and stayed there 'til morning.

* * *

The next morning they were breaking camp. Shippou gathered Kagome's supplies and put them back in her bag. Kagome snuffed the fire and covered it's remnants with dirt and refilled their water containers. Sesshoumaru still wasn't moving much, but Kagome figured he probably still wasn't quite comfortable in his new skin, so-to-speak.

When Kagome arrived back from the stream the daiyoukai was back in his clothes and sitting again. The bunched hems of his hakama were untied leaving them free flowing, and apparently there was extra length disguised in the bunches because they now seemed a normal length on him. His haori was tied in place as well, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows hid how they were a bit short on him. Overall he looked normal, aside from his missing armor which was suspiciously gone. Not that it would have done much, it didn't fit him any longer.

She stepped up to his side and kneeled beside him. "Are you ready to leave?" She asked worriedly.

Her answer was only a nod before Sesshoumaru moved, placing hand behind him for balance and then gracefully he stood up. Once again Kagome was stunned near speechless by the extent of his transformation.

Sure he'd been tall before, Kagome's head just barely level with his shoulder. But the only way to describe his size now was behemoth. Her nose grazed the bottom of his breast bone now and she estimated he'd grown a good eight inches taller. That wasn't the only way he'd grown though. His previously slim but muscular figure was fuller now making his body broader and thicker, much more like the dog she first associated him with. An Akita. Where he'd been tall compared to the little priestess before now he all but dwarfed her and that fact made Kagome all the more away of his predatory nature.

Instinct won over common sense and Kagome took a step back, needing to feel as if she weren't standing in such an intimidating shadow. She remembered that it was foolish for prey to step back from it's predator, leaving it open to attack, but she reminded herself she wasn't his prey at least for the moment. Shippou followed suit, he'd set Kagome's repacked bag down beside her and then hopped up to his place on her shoulder. Sesshoumaru's figure was imposing to the little kit the very first moment he met him, the little kit remembered the unsettling feeling he'd had while bowed at the daiyoukai's feet and begging for the resurrection of his otter youkai friend's father but now it was worse. Being shorter than Kagome's knees Shippou could could hardly see Sesshoumaru's face while standing on his own two feet. So he opted to sit the priestess' shoulder and peek out meekly from the curtain of her inky black hair.

Kagome shifted uncertainly from foot to foot. "You know.. it's not necessary for you to accompany us." She chuckled at herself a bit, "I did make it all the way out here on my own. I can make it back." She knew he was probably only offering to come with out some perceived debt he owed her for staying with him but she figured he was in some position of power so him being missing over a week would be noticeable and it would be urgent for him to return.

He narrowed his eyes at her in response and Kagome gulped. Leaning forward, effectively engulfing her in his shadow, he asked, "Something bothering you, Ka-go-me?" He enunciated her name for emphasis. The growl that was still present in his voice as a temporary side-effect of his transformation reverberated through her and made her gulp for an entirely different reason.

"N-no," she stuttered. "Nothing a all." At that point she wasn't sure what to say not to insult him so she decided on changing the subject. "How are you feeling?"

For his part Shippou had receded almost completely into her hair, only a shock of his own bright auburn against her dark tresses and the green of his eyes shown.

Sesshoumaru accepted the change gracefully, happy to be off the subject of him leaving her just yet. For some reason it irked him thinking of her going. "I am fine." It wasn't a lie. Considering his circumstances not two days prior the dull ache in his muscles was nothing to fuss over.

"Oh," she looked at the ground, "We were worried. You had this horrible fever for the longest time.. and Shippou said it wasn't normal..," a curved finger touched underneath her chin, tipping her face to look at him again. "for... youkai..," she finished with a surprised look.

"You need not worry," he said quietly, his baritone voice washing over her. "It is not normal for normal youkai. For those who possess poison on the other hand," he raised his other hand and let loose the glow of his body's toxin, holding it a fair distance from Kagome and Shippou. The glow looked almost black in the daylight. "The fever is normal." he finished.

Kagome nodded quietly, staring wide-eyed at his hand.

"The poison literally boils in our veins. Changing, becoming more potent and dangerous, thus creating the fever." He dropped his hands back to his side, flicking the residual poison of onto the ground and straightened. His expression changed from darkly humorous back to it's normally placid facade and Kagome relaxed with a heavy sigh. She vaguely wondered if his moods seeming so chaotic was also a side effect of his growth. "Shall we be off then?" He asked, motioning towards the path Kagome had walked from a week prior to find him.

"Yes," she smiled and nodded before falling into step with him and petting Shippou's head reassuringly.

They were on their way home again.

* * *

An hour into their walk back to the village the air was tense and awkward. The entire trek so far was completely silent, and not comfortably so. Kagome had no idea what to say, Shippou was still too scared to say anything, and Sesshoumaru was just acting weird and saying nothing.

Since the path Kagome had decided to take a week earlier was a less traveled one it was also very thin, only about a foot and a half wider then Sesshoumaru's broad shoulders. For Kagome the answer to this problem seemed obvious - to walk in a single file line.

Sesshoumaru didn't seem to agree.

Every time Kagome slowed to get behind him he she would have the luxury of not walking half way into tree branches for about three seconds before Sesshoumaru slowed as well, once again standing beside her. For her part she had no idea what to do about this, it would be rude to tell him off since he wasn't really doing anything aggressive. He was just crowding her space. So she walked a precarious line, alternating between awkwardly bumping into his arm and nearly running into trees.

Oh, Sesshoumaru knew he was crowding the young priestess, but he had his reasons. First there was some strange need deep in his gut to be close, to touch her even if it was just in a platonic manner such as bumping into her. Along with this need to touch and be close was the need to protect, to watch over her, and he couldn't do that very well if he couldn't see her because she was behind him. Lastly it was a sign of one's lower status to walk behind someone. She would have been likened to a lowly slave or a ward perhaps but she was anything but and he wouldn't stand for the misconception.

Her walking beside him was a sign of her equal status. Normally no human would be allowed such an honor but she'd worked her way into his graces, however unintentional said working was. She could have easily left him there, and most would have. Despite the fact that he'd saved her more than a few times while she adventured across Nippon in search of the dark hanyou he also did his fair share of near harm. Also in helping him she knowingly risked his ire. He still remembered telling his brother "Accept no help from a human, even in death." when the very same priestess who just saved him was shooting arrows at him.

Thinking of his brother brought up another incident. One that bugged him quite often as of late. Deciding to end the awkward silence as it was obviously starting to irk his traveling companion he inquired about it. "Why is it you called me 'Onii-san'?" He never was quite able to understand why she called him brother on the day of her return to the village. From what he could tell she had yet to be with the half breed, there was no scent of him on her clothes or skin and even when she called out to him that day he could easily tell with his powerful nose that their scents mingled no more than they would if they were platonically touching or sitting close to one another. So he surely wasn't her brother-in-law.

Kagome sputtered, a blush staining her cheeks as she deduced what he must have immediately thought when she called him that. " I just thought.. well I see Inuyasha like a brother. An older, kind of over protective big brother but a brother nonetheless. I guess my calling you that was sort of my way of saying I saw you like that too?" She winced at her own words, he wasn't overly fond of humans and she was sure he wouldn't like being seen as related to one. "Well maybe not that. But maybe more like.. Say this: Rin came to live with us right? So that made her part of our family. So we see her as a little sister. So when I called you brother that was my way of saying we accepted you too?" She finished uncertainly, "Does that make sense?" She peeked at him meekly.

He nodded, it did indeed make sense. That didn't mean he had to like it. Being seen as her family member or sibling as people would perceive if she called him that didn't sit well, but not for the reasons she thought.

Shifting into his commanding attitude her replied, "You will no longer refer to this one as such." He inwardly cringed, he'd sounded more harsh then intended when he said that.

"Although, you may refer to this one more informally than my given title. If you wish." He looked at her from the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction.

She smiled, "Sesshoumaru-kun?" She ventured hesitantly.

He nodded, pleased. "That is acceptable."

Kagome grinned happily. Just as they finished talking the small path they were on opened up into a larger one allowing her ample space to walk again. She nearly skipped in glee.

The rest of the day passed comfortably. Shippou slowly crept from his hiding place to sit on Kagome's shoulder and by the end of their walk he seemed much more comfortable with Sesshoumaru.

Just as night fell they found themselves at the edge of the village. It was late but someone left some of the torch's lit on the outskirts. By that light both the travelers could see a red clad figure pacing to and fro across the path.

They stopped and Kagome turned back to her silent traveling companion. "Thank you, for walking with us this far." She said with a smile.

He nodded in return.

Kagome felt a tad uncomfortable, not knowing exactly what to say. "So... I guess this is where we part. Inuyasha must be worried sick. Shippou and I did just go missing for a week." Shippou at that moment was asleep in the hood of her cape once again.

She waved to him and turned to go back to Inuyasha and started walking toward him. Suddenly Sesshoumaru's second tail darted out and curled lightly around her ankle. Kagome stumbled but caught herself and looked down at the funny appendage with first surprise, which quickly morphed into amusement.

Reaching down she gently uncurled it and turned back to Sesshoumaru, the fluffy tail still in her hand, "This another thing like your Dokasou? Takes a bit to learn how to keep it in check?" she giggled.

The daiyoukai just grimaced before taking back to proffered appendage and the wayward tail flopped back of his shoulder next to it's twin, falling down his back like a cape while the other still hugged his arm. He didn't have time to answer before Kagome ran giggling to a very relieved Inuyasha.

Contrary to what she believed he had complete control over his tail. He'd consciously grabbed her, not that he even knew the exact reason. He didn't want to see her go and he'd instinctively reacted to make her stay. But rational won over and he let her go.

Turning from the village he went a fair distance away before transforming into his true self. He was much larger now, his form thicker as was his humanoid one and his ears shorter, nearly pointed but still bearing a little overlap at their tips. He still didn't hold a candle to the massive size of his father's body in the netherworld, being only half his sire's size, but he'd still grown quite a bit.

As Sesshoumaru took to the air he looked once more at the village from his view in the skies. There was much business to tend to in lieu of his transformation, but he fully intended to return. Something deep inside him, a feeling in his chest, wouldn't let him stay far from the young priestess long.

* * *

Kagome hugged Inuyasha, over-joyed to see him again. "We're back!" she announced. "Sorry we're late."

Inuyasha held took hold of her shoulder and held her at arms length, examining her for injury while he asked, "Where the hell were you? You've had every one worried!"

She looked down in embarrassment, "I just had something that popped up and I had to take care of it. I'm sorry I had no way to tell you guys."

He wrinkled his nose at her, "You were with Sesshoumaru."

Kagome was mildly surprised but realized she shouldn't have been. Of course after being so close to the daiyoukai for a week she would smell like him, and Inuyasha probably even saw him on the path. She nodded, unable to lie to him.

Seeing she was fine he calmed down somewhat, sighing before he ruffled his hands through his bangs in mild frustration. "I'm glad you're okay. Just, please, be careful." Inuyasha knew her penchant for seeing the good in everyone, "I know we've been on good terms with him but you still never know. Okay?"

Kagome hugged him again, "Thanks for caring Inuyasha, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I'll be okay."

He blushed and quickly waved her away, "Oi, get offa me! I don't need your girly hugs," He crossed his arms and turned from her but kept looking at her from the corner of his eyes. "No get inside the hut before you catch cold or somthin'." With that she went off to bed and slept peacefully through the night.

A/N: Okay now that you're done with the chapter I can have my squeee fest!! :D

I have to give a big HUGE thanks to all of you! This story was nominated for The Dokuga Awards in the category of Best Canon. Much love and huggles to you all :)

I also received three other nominations:

Best Humor/Parody for UnderPants Gnomes (This story has been nominated once before for Dokuga Awards and tied for First Place in the Feudal Association Awards for Best Humor)

Best Oneshot for The Loyalty of Dogs

Best Sesshoumaru Fanart for Sesshoumaru Vs Carebears (A comical series of frames inspired by Danyealle-sama's oneshot also called Sesshoumaru Vs Carebears. This art is posted on Dokuga(dot)com)

Voting forms and a list of many other wonderful nominated fics can be found here: dokuga(dot)com/awards/currentlist


	7. Chie baa san

Chapter 7

Chie-baa-san

Leisurely, Sesshoumaru flew through the skies on his cloud to his next destination. Over the course of the previous three days he'd gone about taking care of various, tedious errands. His mother needed to be notified as to why he suddenly dropped off the face of the earth for two weeks. While he didn't visit her often he always at least replied to her missives, so he needed to excuse his negligence in not doing so as of late. She demanded he stay for a time and the most hastily he was able to flee her sky castle was just that morning.

Surprisingly all of his mother's lands and holdings were still in order, so he thankfully had nothing to attend to in that department. Since youkai lived so long youkai politics often moved painfully slow, a threat of invasion may not be carried out until twenty years after it was made and treaties and contracts often took just as long. So, there was never an abundance things to be tended to in that sense.

Next to be tended to was his clothing. After being wrapped in what he thought were incredibly pretentious and non-practical silks in excessive layers at his mother's palace for a few days he was back in his, albeit comfortable, but too small traveling clothes. He was off to a youkai seamstress he knew since the days of his first growth to acquire new ones.

This old woman was particularly aged, so aged she could even be grandmother to his father. Her name had even been forgotten, lost to the ages, known only to her and shared with few to no beings. Most simply called her 'Chie', which simply meant 'wise'. Sesshoumaru remembered his own father calling her 'Chie-sama', while he bowed to the old woman. She herself had instructed young Sesshoumaru on his first visit to call her 'O-baa-san' or Grandmother. Not wanting to be treated as a child, though he was one, he'd declined and respectfully answered he would prefer to call her 'Chie-sama' as his father did. She grew so upset then Sesshoumaru feared his father's wrath so he acquiesced and called her 'Chie-baa-san'. He never called her anything besides that since.

There was some dispute as to Chie-baa-san's power. Some beings thought she had little or none to speak of, others thought she was so old she must have power aplenty but was just past the age of caring about battles or war so she simply never used it. Sesshoumaru himself knew she was incredibly skilled with the needle and clairvoyant to some extent. Though he never saw a display of power from her in his eight hundred years of life he knew knowledge was power, thus he would never attempt to stand against someone's who's very name was 'wise'.

Spotting the small old hut nestled in a small valley where he knew she lived Sesshoumaru gently touched down and the lush grass. He could see Chie-baa-san, standing out in her burnt orange colored kimono, slowly meandering through the wooden maze of trellises and fences constructed in the meadow. Fat silk worms, oblivious to the world around them aside from the slight structure that was there home, squirmed about the trellises. They weaved to and fro slowing creating the thin white film that would soon be turned into silken cloth.

Sesshoumaru stopped, standing a ways away from the silk worm's home. She always was very peculiar and never let anyone near her precious bugs. "Chie-baa-san," He called to her in greeting, waiting until she turned to acknowledge him before bowing at the waist.

"Young Sesshoumaru," she called in return, her old voice crackling. She turned to walk towards him, her many-faceted bug-like eyes shown dully belying her near-blindness but her face shown with happiness. She hobbled up to him, the back of her kimono bulged with her beetle shell exoskeleton liked the curved back of an old woman and two of her hands acting as feet carrying her over the terrain.

She was a kind of insect-youkai, though her exact species was unknown. She had six arms but no legs, so to walk on two legs she used one set of arms like feet and the others as hands. When she sat Chie-baa-san often used all six arms for whatever cloth she was working on at the time. Her skin was a dark hue, shining with a blue tint in the sunlight but otherwise it looked a deep purplish-black.

Wrinkled hands reached up to Sesshoumaru's face, "Come, let me see you boy." She said, looking about the area of his face but not quite at him. "No one ever comes to see this old one now, it is good to have a visitor." Her speech was slow and unhurried and despite his earlier wish for haste Sesshoumaru felt a bit calmed.

He bent low to allow her to touch him, as her head was only just higher than his hip. Her fingers gently traced his face, avoiding his eyes and she took in the different texture of his hair and markings. "Oh how you have grown, even bigger than your father now you must be." She brushed a gentle hand through his bangs and then stepped back, allowing him to stand straight again before she hobbled in the direction of her small home. "Come inside young one, I see why you've come now."

Sesshoumaru followed behind her and when beckoned took a seat across from her at the small table inside of her darkened hut. The bright oranges of the old youkai's kimono flashed in the dim light provided by the embers of the fire, making her seem almost ghostly and every bit as old as she was.

The scent of the tea before him reached his nose as one of her arms tipped the aged, dented teapot to pour into his cup. The aroma was thick, exotic, and sweet, unlike anything he had ever smelled outside of her small valley. Chie-baa-san knew of preservation methods older than even he could remember, magics that could make things last for millenia. So he knew not how old this tea could possibly be, but he could be enjoying some thousand year old delicacy. The anticipation almost made him feel like a child again but he retained his demeanor. With a nod he thanked her and cradled the delicate cup in his hands before bringing it to his lips.

They talked for what felt like a few minutes, but in truth must have been closer to hours, exchangnig pleasantries and telling stories. When the valley darkened just a bit and the air shifted, becoming slightly more cold, and signaling the impending dusk Chie-baa-san spoke in her withered old voice, "It is good to see you have faired well Sesshoumaru, I worry often in these times." She patted the top of his much larger hand in a grandmotherly fashion.

Sesshoumaru nodded and replied, "It is good to see you are in good health as well, Chie - " But he was swiftly interrupted.

"Ah hush young one, I see you want to hurry," she gathered his cup and and smiled knowlingly, "I can only wonder what has you so anxious."

The daiyoukai did his best to remain impassive though he in truth was a bit flustered. It was very easy to forget the old youkai woman's abilities. No she didn't read minds, but she could tell fortune and she could pick up on tiny tendrils of thoughts; just little things like a name, a feeling, or a color, but even the tiniest little unguarded thought could be one's downfall.

She lead him outside, away from her home and far out into the field, before stepping back. Waving her arms she demanded, "Come on, let's so how big you've really gotten!" The grin stretching her wrinkled features told Sesshoumaru she was truly excited to see.

With a nod Sesshoumaru started to unfurl the carefully made proverbial ties on his energies. The ground quivered and the wind curled about him, mimicking the motions of his aura. Sun-kissed eyes bled a red so deep they looked abyssal and the flash of the low sun against the glassy surface made them shine malevolently.

Muscles tight, his jaw began to stretch and it was only a mere moment that was filled with the eerie crunch and twist of the inu's body rearranging before it was drowned out by the dull roar of the wind around him, then the dust hid him from sight as well.

Light engulfed the small space and radiated outward hiding even the diminutive Chie in it's blinding glow before it faded. In it's wake stood Sesshoumaru, blotting out the the sun and shading Chie and her home in his expansive girth.

Reaching up, Chie patted his nose, "You and your father did always make handsome beasts," she chuckled and her blind eyes shown with mirth. "Now lay down so I can get at your fur, young one." She beckoned with one hand while the others pulled sharp clippers from within the folds of her kimono.

With a snort Sesshoumaru prepared to lay down and let the woman do her work, but something in his stance must have tipped her off.

A sudden screech of, "Don't you dare plop!" sounded through the small valley. "Don't you dare! You sit nice right this minute and I don't want this ground to shake one bit! You hear me?" The suddenly irate Chie brandished a clipper at him threateningly.

Vaguely Sesshoumaru remembered a time he'd been here with his father. The great inu had lazily plopped down on the soft grass ready to have the small amount of fur clipped off that it would take to make new clothing. The consequence of his lazy motion had been an old woman stuck on her curved back, screaming about disrespectful beasts and rolling back and forth like a turtle. The scolding she'd given his father afterwards included this same angry brandishing of her infamous clippers and the younger Sesshoumaru had been sure she would snip his father's nose clean off with her haphazard movements.

Having no desire to have the situation repeated with himself as the culprit rather than his father Sesshoumaru carefully shimmied his feet until he was flush with the ground and watched the old youkai warily.

Seemingly placated by his actions Chie walked up and began clipping. Many a time Sesshoumaru and his father, and even his father had come to her to make clothes like these. The spinning and making of cloth simply from the fur of a youkai was a delicate affair, and if the cloth were to retain the qualities it had while still attached to the youkai it was from it needed the touch of a skilled and careful hand. Because of the clothes making they held many useful properties; such as Sesshoumaru's clothing being immune to his poison, none of the cloth was shredded during transformation, it was impervious to many weaker attacks (though some youkai fur had more strength in this area like that of the fire rat), and it retained most of it's basic fur like qualities.

The slow methodical movements of the old woman's hands and the smooth motion of the near silent clippers almost made Sesshoumaru fall asleep. That was until her felt her hands move closer to his face, towards the crimson red fur of his markings. Sesshoumaru growled his disapproval.

"What is it?" Chie asked, "You don't want the design red again?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, agreeing with her assessment. Then let loose a low, raspy growl. Now because of his growth he should be capable of normal speech even in his true form but the newness and unused state of his vocal chords in this state made it difficult to do. "The fabric will be dyed this time," he stated in a scratchy voice.

The old woman just hmm'ed and nodded before gathering up the fur she'd clipped from the thick expanse of his mane and gathered it into a blanket like cloth. She took the bundle over her shoulder before waddling back to her hut, "I'll begin now, it should be finished soon enough."

The great dog shimmied closer to her small home, just enough so he could peek in with one large, ruby-red eye. Sesshoumaru enjoyed stretching out in his true form and relished in the rare chance to do so and relax, so he wasn't eager to change back very quickly. He blinked languidly, watching the practiced movements of the old seamstress and remembering in days long passed when he had first gazed up this ritual and watched with a child-like fascination.

The bulk of the fur was laid in the center of the room, surrounded by four spinning wheels and a loom, a small bit of the fur was laid off to the side, presumably for dying. Chie took her place at the head of the loom and reached out her six arms, all of them extending to work as she needed them. Nearly faster than Sesshoumaru's eyes could see her arms swept over the wooden machines, simultaneously pushing the peddles to keep the wheels turning while stuffing the fur into them and pulling out the thin silvery thread it made. Within moments little piles of thread made from his fur grew at the base of each wheel and Chie redirected two of her arms from the spindles with a practiced ease and began threading them through the loom.

Soon the room was filled with the soft hum of the spinning of the thread and the rhythmic tap of the loom moving back and forth. A small swath of cloth formed, it shined with an iridescent glow in the pale bits of waning sunlight that crept through the home's wooden slats and within a half an hour it was a large, long piece of well-made cloth ready for sewing. When the edges were tied and the cloth folded neatly at her side Chie turned to the extra pile and spun it into thread before turning to Sesshoumaru.

"What color would you wish, young one?" She asked in a genuinely curious tone.

Scarlet eyes closed in contemplation. What color was it he wished for? This was a new chapter in his life, he felt new. The animosity towards all things he'd had in his youth had faded with time, under Rin and others' influence. Red was his color before, a sign of his royalty and status, his power in war and blood. He wanted something new like he felt, something refreshing but still strong.

The memory of a stormy night, bathed in the red haze of his beast's mind, crept forth to the forefront of his consciousness. A hideous spider faced off against a young priestess but the girl seemed determined and unfazed by the grotesque visage of her enemy. Set in her stance, eyes sparking with the electric-blue flame of her power and the comet like arrow flew towards it's target momentarily blinding his memory so he only remember a fog of white. A low content groan escaped at the memory. When she'd returned to him and put his head in her lap, caring for him, he felt safe and content. They were strange and slightly unknown feelings, one's he'd never quite felt before but they came like instinct to his mind. The very thought of her made him feel at peace. The priestess' eyes were a roiling sapphire accented with a shining gold made by the firelight when she'd looked down at him lying in her lap.

Just like that his decision was made. Still lost in his memory Sesshoumaru answered, "I wish for blue... Dye the thread blue..."

_Like her eyes..._

_A knowing smile crossed Chie's lips before she set to work again. The cloth was stretched and readied for embroidering and once again six arms spun at dizzying speed, sewing and knotting thread into a pattern. The sleeve of the left arm was quickly encased in a shell of royal blue, the lines of embroidery waving and doubling back on themselves creating a thick, bumpy yet smooth texture reminiscent of a tree's bark. This pattern continued in the shape of winding branches over the breast of the haori until the ends tickled at the seam of the right sleeve. Then the tree's branches were filled out with budding flowers and fresh leaves, all in the deep blue the thread was dyed. The image wasn't that of a sapling, nor was it that of a great and powerful aged tree, it was just in the middle and growing into a new stage and a new beginning as was Sesshoumaru. _

Long after the sun had fallen past the horizon Sesshoumaru was dressed in his new clothing. The blue of the accent thread was a striking complement to the blue hue of his hair and the clothes fit him well. The attire was complete with a white under-haori and plain white Hakama, bunched at the hem as his old ones were. The old haori sat folded and tucked into the inner pocket of his new one, it was still a valueable piece as it was his own fur in that cloth as well so he kept it.

After thanking Chie for her work Sesshoumaru was ready to leave but just as he was walking through her door the old woman's gravely voice called to him.

"If you ever need anything for the girl," he could hear the smile in her voice, "you make sure you come see me."

For a moment Sesshoumaru was confused. Did she speak of his previous ward? And how did he know of her? But then she turned with a knowing smile and spoke the words he hadn't expected to hear.

"I speak of the young priestess. The one with blue eyes, of course."

He turned and smiled to himself, remember her gift of clairvoyance, and left without saying a word. He transformed once again before leaping off into the sky. The new Sesshoumaru had more things to do before he could turn to his priestess and he was eager to see them done.

* * *

A/N: Hey I just wanted to say thanks for all the sweet reviews again ^.^ You guys are awesome! This fic one Third place in the Dokuga Awards for Best Canon so I have to give everyone a big thanks for that too!!! :D

Sorry this chapter took a bit long. I recently moved to a new city and just started a new job so everything's been a bit scattered. I am working on quite a few long (8-10k ish words) oneshots as well so watch out for some titles like 'Netsu Ai' (not a Sesskag but I hope some people will still be brave and read it :) ) 'Vexing Inner Colloquies of a Voyeur' and other ones ranging from old oneshot's I'm turning into fourshots and some inupapa/kags pairings (my muse has been a busy panda).

This chapter was going to have a bit more but I wanted to give you guys something and I figured 3k was long enough. Because of that you can expect the next chapter in a fairly short amount of time but I am going to take a small break to get out another chapter of Tainted Past, Tainted Future (This fiction was recently nominated for the Feudal Association's Best Darkfic and has won 2nd Best Darkfic in the Dokuga awards) :)

Thanks again! *** huggles and lubs* -MontiK**


	8. Little Inuyasha and the Mine's Collapse

Chapter 8

-Little Inuyasha and the Mine's collapse

A/N: I forgot to put this in my AN for the last chapter . I had a reviewer ask how many chapters I thought this would turn out to be. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say 14-15 but really I never truly know. Depending on how I do things and how I break things up it could end up longer but I don't think it will be more than 20.

I also had someone ask about Sesshoumaru's tails. They both drape over one shoulder, his first/old tail is still in it's normal spot and the new one is next to it but rather than twining around his shoulder in a loop it just drapes over his shoulder and down his back like inupapa's.

* * *

The steam rose from the freshly poured teacup as Kagome passed it to Sango.

"Here, this should help a bit," Kagome said to the married woman, a sympathetic tone in her voice.

They were now sure Sango was pregnant with her third child, the first pregnancy having been twins. Inuyasha had confirmed it while Kagome was away, and Sango was about a month along by now. While it was a joyous occasion for everyone, it was a painful one. For some reason, being with child reaped havoc on the strong slayer's body. She would be sick not only in the mornings but at sporadic times throughout the day as well. Then there were the aches and pains that left Sango nearly bedridden. So, for the next eight months, she would be stuck in her and her husband's small home with Kagome as company, only the blandest foods to eat, and herbal teas to help settle her body.

"Thank you," Sango winced as she turned to grasp the cup. "Are you sure there's no explanation from your world as to why I always get like this?" The slayer asked. ,

Kagome had since lost count of how many times Sango had inquired about this.

She shook her head sadly, "If there is I haven't heard it. The best thing we can do is make sure you relax."

Sango nodded. She wished Miroku were there but he was set to be back, hopefully, in a few days. Though she was sure when he received the news he wouldn't leave her alone until the baby was born and she would wish he'd leave her be, she smiled at the thought. Miroku, after the defeat of Naraku, was a rather doting husband. Though he never did quit his more deceptive practices, traveling to nearby villages to perform 'exorcisms' for money, his hands never wandered and his heart never strayed.

The slayer leaned back against the thick pad of blankets that was her cot, intent on getting some sleep. A draught would have helped but Kagome had already explained to her sleeping draughts weren't good for the baby. So Sango would just have to use her hard learned concentration to not think about the aches and fall asleep. Kagome busied herself around the small one room hut but was careful not to make enough noise to disturb Sango's rest.

Just as sleep fogged her mind, Sango heard the familiar rustle of the reed door flap being pulled aside. Groggily she looked up, only to see a slightly concerned looking Inuyasha peeking through the door.

His nose twitched a bit, barely noticeable, but Sango saw and she knew that was his way of checking on her condition. He really was always very worried about all of his human friends.

"Hey Kagome," he called quietly, "there's a man outside says he came to fetch a priestess." He jerked his head to the north end of the village telling her that's where the man was.

Kagome rose from her spot to go see and asked Inuyasha to watch over Sango while she was out, to which the hanyou quickly agreed.

Inuyasha's nose twitched while he circled around to the other side of the bed ridden pregnant woman. "How ya feelin'?" He asked, even though he was still assessing her situation with his keen senses.

"Fine," Sango answered with a tired smile.

Inuyasha frowned then. "You're nervous again. It's not good for you to be nervous," he made a quick motion to her belly, "it makes them upset when you're upset."

The slayer chuckled at that. "Yes, Master Inuyasha," she mocked.

The hanyou plopped down beside her then, ears and nose still twitching. When Sango tried to shift to better see him she winced at the sudden cramp and with a sardonic grin reached for her cup of tea again. "Nine more months of this? Again..." she chuckled.

White ears twitched indecisively atop Inuyasha's head before his decision was made.

An abrupt, "Stay still," from the hanyou was Sango's only warning before he shifted closer to her. He sat on the side of his hip and leaned over her, one ear pressed flat to the lower part of her stomach and his hand gently rested beside his cheek.

"Inuyasha!" Sango exclaimed in surprised, "what're you - ?"

His sharp, "Sh!" quieted her.

The slayer quieted as a low groaning purr seemed to reverberate through the small hut. Instinctively, the sound calmed and made her a little sleepy as well. The low ache that had been present vanished. Maybe she had been making the barely developed child inside of her nervous?

She wasn't concerned about Inuyasha being so close to her while she was lying down and such. Though it was a fairly intimate position to women in her era she knew the hanyou well enough not to worry.

Sango also knew some things she never let on. Her knowledge as a demon slayer gave her more insight into the hanyou's attitude and demeanor then the others. The purring noises he was making now were something she knew about. It was often used with youkai family or pack members to calm them and youkai children sometimes even emitted them in sleep. It was because of her time spent near youkai that she also reacted to the sound.

Another thing she knew about was Inuyasha's level of maturity. Hanyou aged differently then both youkai and humans. They didn't have the growth spurts like youkai. No, they would be far to vulnerable since they were already targeted because of what their existence stood for. They grew like humans did, slowly and over time. But the age their bodies appeared and their mental maturity hardly ever matched, and this was much the case with Inuyasha.

His body appeared to be nearly 18, far beyond the age of marrying in their time. But the age of his body was an instinctual reaction from his youkai blood to make him more powerful, more adapted to survive in the wilds at his young age. His mind wasn't much older than Shippou's, or even a human eight year old, the only thing giving him a semblance of the age he appeared was the effect his difficult child hood had on him.

Sango never mentioned this to the others. She especially didn't want to tell Kagome. When the little priestess was younger it was obvious she had a crush for Inuyasha but the hanyou just wasn't of the mind to understand her intentions yet, and Kagome, being from the future and never having encountered a hanyou, couldn't have know that was the problem. Sango didn't have it in her to break it to Kagome so she simply stayed quiet. Some of the small things Miroku mentioned to her also cemented Sango's assumption. The instance early on in their adventure where Inuyasha had simply asked Miroku why it was such a problem that he have both Kagome and Kikyo stood out. With the mind of a child, Inuyasha saw it as if they were saying he couldn't have two friends not two _girlfriends_.

The way the hanyou acted with Shippou was another fair example. The constant bickering and the juvenile retaliation were something siblings would do. Inuyasha and Shippou were close enough in mental age they were very much like siblings, hence their childish behavior.

Sango's tanned, battle worn hand reached up to rub the little white ear atop Inuyasha's head between her thumb and forefinger. His eyes were closed and he appeared dazed, at the stage near sleep. The slayer smiled, thinking of their small group's dynamic and how Inuyasha cared so much for them all. He defended them as if they were his world, his everything, his family. To him they really were. His repeated attacks against their human frailty were his way of somehow assuring himself in his child- like mind that if they could run as fast as youkai, stay awake as long as youkai, and fight youkai, he would be allowed to be with them longer. He was simply afraid of being alone.

Still scratching Inuyasha's ear Sango started to drift off to sleep herself. Just as she was on the cusp of unconsciousness, she heard the hanyou's dream-slurred whisper. His deepest desire: to simply be loved and cared for as every child should be – exemplified in one simple but heart breaking word...

"Mother..."

A single tear drifted down the demon slayer's cheek as she fell asleep. She knew what it was like to lose a mother at a young age, but at least she had her father, brother, and her village there for her. Inuyasha had no one until Kikyo and them, and the knowledge made her ache.

* * *

Outside Kagome found the man Inuyasha mentioned waiting for her at the edge of the village. His clothes were average but noticeably covered in great splotches of what looked like soot with little specks of chipped stone were also trapped in the roughly textured cloth.

When she reached him, he quickly dropped to his knees and pressed himself to the ground in a deep bow. "Lady Priestess," his voice still sounded gasping and out of breath even though he'd come on a horse, "there is a great mine near my village where I and many of the men work. There was a cave in! Many are horribly injured and our healer can not possibly help them all. We are in great need of assistance and would pay you handsomely for your aid!"

Kagome immediately felt sympathetic towards his plight. She was a priestess so of course it was her calling to go and she wouldn't refuse. Kaede could instruct Miroku and Inuyasha on how best to care for Sango and both would be more than eager to help so she wasn't necessarily needed.

Looking down on the villager, she knelt on one knee before him. "Please stand," bowing was a protocol she'd grown accustomed to but this poor man was already dirty and covered in more than a few scrapes so the ground was no place for him. He obediently stood and Kagome got up with him. "We'll leave immediately. Gather some supplies and tell the villagers I sent you, they'll give you no trouble."

Both understanding the need for haste went in their separate directions. Kagome set off to gather Kaede's horse, find Shippou to accompany her, and to tell Inuyasha she would be leaving so Sango was his charge until she came back.

Upon entering Sango's small hut Kagome was about to call out just as she spotted the two sleeping figures, one stretched across the floor and the other on the futon. She smiled and left them to rest. Then, she left a message for Inuyasha about where she'd gone with one of the village children when she went to get Shippou.

Not an hour later, the little kitsune and the priestess met up with the village miner and were off to the scene of the cave collapse. They made what was normally a full day's ride into a little more then a half day's gallop by pushing the horses as much as they could. When they arrived and Kagome finally got a look at all the damage she could fully understand the man's sense of urgency in fetching her. It seemed as though almost every able young man in the village was currently laid out on a makeshift cot outside of the collapsed cave. Some of the older villagers and many young women with their babes still strapped to their backs bustled between the rows of men, tending to wounds and helping everyone keep an upbeat spirit but the men were still in need of much care. Just from where she stood after dismounting, Kagome could see many gruesome looking fractures indicated by horribly twisted limbs and bones protruding through the skin. Already, the young priestess knew there was no way she would be able to save all of these men.

Quickly, she set out to find the aged village priestess to gain a full understanding of the situation. Kagome found her tending to a particularly nasty break in a man's shin bone, the tip of the broken piece was protruding through his skin.

Kneeling down to help Kagome started to inquire about the situation, "Is this everyone from the mine, then?"

Tersely, the elder woman replied while he brow furrowed in concentration, "All the live ones, yes. The dead have been taken back to the village and shrouded. I'm not sure about the youkai though."

Confused Kagome immediately asked, "Youkai?"

The old woman nodded and bit her lip as she made the effort to twist the broken bone back into a place where it could heal straight. "Yes, this cave goes all the way through the mountain. We mine half and the youkai have the other. The rock is too hard for us to break into on their side. The cave in was close to the middle of the mountain and I am not sure if any of them were trapped. We did not have time to check."

Kagome's eyes strayed to the cave opening, "Is it safe to go in?"

Kagome helped hold the leg in place while the elder wrapped the splint in place with thick cotton bandages. "Most of the debris has been cleared but if ye go in don't go banging on the walls or nothin' foolish of the like."

With a few bamboo containers of water tied to their waists, handkerchiefs covering their mouths and noses, and a torch Kagome and Shippou entered the cave. Makeshift joists were layered over some of the old and broken ones, precariously holding up the cave ceiling. Both Kagome and Shippou followed orders and were careful not to touch them or the walls.

Inside the cave the air was thick and hard to breath, even with their faces half covered. The normal air borne debris from mining was hard enough and on top of that was all of the dust from the cave in. Combined with the close quarters the space felt suffocatingly claustrophobic.

As they slowly progressed down the long, thin hall carved into the mountain a quiet, whimpering call became louder and louder, until it was a discernible voice. "Hello... Hello... is anyone there?" the squeak of a frightened, young child's voice echoed against the walls.

Their pace quickened to a jog and Kagome called back, "Hello? We're coming, just keep talking." They reached a fork in the mine and on instinct Kagome picked a side. At the end, they found a wall of unkempt rubble, a stark contrast the carved walls of the rest of the cave and a tiny red paw reaching out of the rubble told them this was their destination. She nestled the torch in between some rocks so it stood on it's own, illuminating the rubble.

"We're here," Kagome called softly. The tiny arm disappeared soon to be replaced by a bright blue eye staring through the small hole in its place.

"Are you here to help?" The little youkai boy asked in a quiet whisper.

Kagome nodded, "Are you injured?"

He blinked dazedly, "No...," his voice trailed off.

Shippou blinked back at him, "You're just trapped?"

The eye bobbed signifying a nod.

Puffing out his chest, the little kitsune leapt into action, hopping up on top of a larger rock and grasping on to a smaller one with tiny hands, "C'mon Kagome, we can get him out really easy." He coaxed.

After choosing a few of the loosest rocks to move, they could see all of the little youkai child's head. Rounded furry ears flickered, ridding themselves of excess dust and his little triangle shaped nose twitched just before he sneezed. By the shape of his face, the soft, brown colored fur all over his body and the tiny black claws on his fingers tips Kagome could make a fair guess he was some kind of mountain cat youkai. With one more large rock moved, they could see the whole of his torso, clad in a little blue haori.

Kagome reached out her hands to help the little youkai through the small hole, "You should be able to fit through now, c'mon," she coaxed gently.

To her surprise he recoiled, pressing himself against the back of the small space he was trapped in. "I can't," he whimpered. "I can't leave my dad alone," tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. It was obvious he wanted to go, the woman before him looked and felt safe. She even seemed to be friends with the kitsune child so despite her being human she obviously had no problem with youkai. But his sense of honor and duty to his father out weighed self preservation.

Kagome and Shippou's eyes widened in surprised. The young priestess felt worry boil in her gut, "Is your father awake?" She asked hesitantly. Much to her chagrin the little boy shook his head. This was the worst case scenario. For all she knew his father could be dead or he may have been mortally wounded in the cave's collapse but without being able to see him there was no way to tell. There was also no way Kagome and Shippou could fathom moving all the rocks out of the way on their own.

Shippou was the first to continue, "How many youkai are trapped with you?"

The little one chewed his lip. "Seven, maybe more." He looked behind him and then motioned to a particularly dark spot on the wall, "They're all back there. , I was smallest so I burrowed through and then I heard you guys."

Taking charge of the situation, Shippou took the bamboo containers from his belt and held them in his mouth by the attached strings. Then he pulled out and extra handkerchief from his belt and held it out the younger boy, "Here take this," he said, his voice muffled by the cloth and the string in his teeth. The boy mimicked Shippou's movement and when the kitsune handed him two containers of water attached to strings he held them the same way in his mouth. "Okay now lead me through to you friends."

Just before Shippou crawled into the little tunnel between the voids in the collapsed rock, he called back to a still stunned Kagome, "Don't worry! I'll be back in a second and I'll tell you how everyone is." Then he was lost to the darkness.

Wringing her hands Kagome waited for him to return. "Please be careful," she whispered to the still air.

* * *

Booted feet touched down on the ash covered top of Totosai's volcanic, mountain home. Immediately, Sesshoumaru spotted the ancient youkai skull that made the old blacksmith's home, the cranium still bearing the perfectly shapes holes as evidence of his temper tantrum years before.

Seeing the marks again made him feel a bit guilty, but they also reminded him of the way he felt so used by his father when the truth of the life giving sword's purpose was revealed to him. Burying those feelings Sesshoumaru stepped forward towards the makeshift home.

From within the heavy clink of Totosai's hammer sounded rhythmically. Off to the side Momo, the three-eyed, cow nosed through the ashen ground. When she heard the soft hiss of feet sinking into the sleet covered ground she looked up. Eyes widening at the sight of Sesshoumaru she let out a loud, frightened, "Mmmmrrrrooooooooo!" before running to hide behind the house.

The inu smirked a bit at the cow's strange actions. He still enjoyed being feared, he was a powerful figure and should be treated as such. Momo's retreat would most likely be the most respect he received while visiting the aged blacksmith.

Moments later Totosai came outside. While scratching his bald head and letting his bulging eyes meander around he asked, "whaddya want?"

Gritting his teeth Sesshoumaru tried to remain civil. Some how, the old retainer of his father's just knew every possibly way to irk him. "I require a blade," he answered in a clipped tone.

Totosai hobbled closer to him. He leaned forward, staring closely at Sesshoumaru's sash before scratching his head again and looking up to the inu's face. "You know...," he started, "you already got two." Totosai held up two fingers as visual aid.

A growl reverberated through the small valley atop the mountain and what suspiciously sounded like an 'eep!' sounded from the cow's hiding place on the other side of the skull.

Jaw clenched Sesshoumaru responded, "I require a wakizashi." It was customary for someone of his age to carry at least three swords. One sword signified the youkais soul, the other two for various battle purposes the most common combination being one for closed quarters combat and the other for ranged.

Totosai turned on his heel back to his hut. "Nope, can't do it."

Sesshoumaru itched to add a few more holes to the blacksmith's home. "Why not?"

Waving his hand, calling over his shoulder, Totosai shouted, "Need metal. Special metal. Don't have it, can't make you a sword."

The inu followed him inside as Totosai flopped down against the bone wall and started cleaning off his hammer with a grungy looking cloth.

"Where do you get this metal?" Sesshoumaru asked, failing at feigning patience.

"Special mine," Totosai answered distractedly, "They usually deliver it to me." Then he perked up, "Hey! Think you can go see what's keepin' 'em?"

Already walking away, Sesshoumaru asked, "Where is this mine?" Though he didn't enjoy being likened to an errand boy, Sesshoumaru was honor bound by his father's employment of the old man not to kill him, and he was still useful so killing him wouldn't be a fruitful endeavor. It would most definitely be faster for him to simply go get the materials than to wait for them to come. And, it gave him a good reason to leave while still getting what he wanted in the end. Sure, Sesshoumaru liked very much getting his way without question but a good tactician always understood sometimes one needed to bend a bit and this was one of those times.

After receiving questionable directions from Totosai, he summoned his cloud beneath him and hovered off to the youkai mine to retrieve Totosai's precious metal.

A/N: whew, another chapter done. Sorry if it feels a bit cliffish . but it was getting a bit long and I kinda like to keep my chapters around 3k words.

Another quick answer to a reviewer's question. I had someone mention that Kagome was the 'most powerful miko' and that she should train more. I always think of my character's power levels with the philosophy of 'There's always a bigger fish in the sea' If you look at myths and legends even gods were never considered 'the most powerful' of anything so by no means are any of these guys the cream of the crop. Another thing is I don't particularly like training scenes . they can get cheesy really easily. I'll warn everyone now I started this story after I did a kind of sad one called 'Forsaken Tenshi' and was just starting 'Tainted Past, Tainted Future' so I wanted to do something very happy/fluffy to counteract all the sad. So there will never be any huge villain or major battle scenes in this, it's gunna be a lot of character growth through basic life troubles and some nice 'awww' moments.

Thanks for reading! I 3 reviews! You guys are awesome :)

-MontiK


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Meeting Again. I'm jealous of your fur.

Shippou crawled through the fallen rubble, blindly following the sound of the the youkai child in front of him. Though his kitsune heritage gave him some degree of vision in the dark it wasn't nearly as advanced as vision afforded the puma youkai child.

He stumbled at the edge of their small crawling tunnel and rolled to the ground with a muffled, "Omph." Shippou rubbed the small bump on the back of his head while grumbling. A quick look to both sides and he realized with his senses so impaired by the environment he was essentially lost in the dark. "Hello? Is anyone there?" His uncertain call echoed in the darkness.

After a few tense moments a tiny hand rested on his shoulders. "Right here," the little puma youkai answered. A gentle tug followed, "They're over here, this way."

Shippou got up and followed, not quite so frightened now that he knew he wasn't alone, Then, went to check on the first injured the little puma youkai led him to.

Outside of the youkai's collapsed mine, on the opposite side of the mountain from the humans, black-booted feet landed on the uneven surface left by the collapse. The scene was quiet and deserted. Sesshoumaru stood and assessed the situation. All the miners were either not present when the collapse occurred or they were somehow all inside. The dust still present in the air kept him from scenting any blood, but also told him that the collapse was fairly recent. The debris had fallen maybe only a day or so before his arrival.

Whatever materials that had already been mined and ready for moving weren't outside in plain sight. This led the daiyoukai to assume that he would have to go through the debris to get what he came for. Deciding on his course of action, Sesshoumaru raised his left hand and called forth his youki whip. He took aim at the wall of rocks barring his entrance to the mine.

Under the force of one strike the rocks at the bottom of the pile cracked. Under the second they splintered, and under the force of a third they crumbled. Without the support of its bottom layer the wall fell away. The loosed rocks fell down the mountainside and into the forest below. The pathway into the cave lay wide open.

Shippou came up to the side of a broad chested, unconscious youkai. The puma-youkai child who led him there sat at his side, barely larger than the unconscious youkai's hand, and looking worriedly up at him.

"Is this your dad?" Shippou asked.

Shippou heard a tiny, "Mmhmm," barely discernable from a whimper, but the affirmative was still there.

Tiny pawed feet made graceful leaps up the jagged cave wall, working their way up to the puma-youkai's father's shoulder. Once there Shippou listened to the labored breathing, now easy to hear because of his close proximity, and sighed in relief. He was alive, at least. Next Shippou started to gingerly touch his patient's forehead, feeling for bumps or cuts. After a moment Shippou found the culprit, a fairly deep, jagged cut was right about the youkai's left temple. The sticky blood covering the wound meant it was slowly scabbing over but because of the seriousness of the wound it would still take a while to heal. It needed to be cleaned and bandaged but the puma-youkai's father would most likely be alright.

Shippou sought to reassure the young youkai. "He'll be okay. We just have to get him out of here and patched up." He tried to smile at the little boy to help him feel better.

The little puma was hesitant for a moment but then smiled too. His relief was easily heard in the form of a happy sigh and he hugged his father's furred hand and nuzzled it.

A dusty cough from the other side of the small, caved in space broke the tender moment and drew Shippou's attention. He leapt to through the rubble into he lost the direction of the sound and then had to call out, as loudly as he dared. "Hello? Can you talk? Where are you?"

A raspy, labored, and quiet, "Here," was his answer.

With that Shippou quickly found the newly awakened, injured youkai. This one was leaner than the other, and obviously younger. Shippou took one of the bamboo water containers and put it to his lips, "Here drink this." Knowing they were all probably dehydrated Shippou hoped most of them would wake up soon so he could get them to drink. Thankfully they were far enough inside of the mountain that the temperature was only moderately hot.

As the youkai greedily drank half the container in one gulp Shippou checked for injuries. Rubble had fallen on top of him and the youkai lied on the cave floor. Dust was covering most of him but the brunt of the damage was done by a large, beach ball sized rock that landed on his shin, effectively pinning him and probably breaking the bone. The injury was probably bad enough to leave a permanent limp, especially since it was probably already healing without having been set properly.

Just as Shippou was about to attempt to roll the rock off of the youkai a great crash was heard from down the tunnel. The grumbling roll of rock sounded and a billowing cloud of dust rolled towards them. In the dust Shippou could see the faint glow of diffused light.

"What's going on?" The little Kitsune whispered to himself as he stared with squinted eyes at the plume.

Sesshoumaru stepped into the cave mouth, eyes squinted and nose scrunched. He held his sleeve close to his face, trying to keep the airborne gravel and dirt from reaching his sensitive nose. The scene was frustrating to say the least. The lighting was dim and his already dismal vision was blocked by the dust. The dust also kept him from scenting anything at all. He took a few more careful, blind steps forward before growling, loudly, in frustration.

A sudden sense of fear bristled the young Kitsune's bottle-brush tail and the puma-youkai child hid behind his father's unconscious body.

A second growl reverberated through the cave and footsteps were heard over the uneven gravel floor.

Shippou's bravery only extended so far. He turned to dart back towards the little tunnel he and the puma-youkai had come through and called for help. "Kagome!"

Kagome listened on the other side of the rubble wall worriedly as she heard the muffled crashing noises. She tried to reassure herself. Shippou was a resourceful little Kitsune. He could handle this. He'd come back if he needed help. The crashes sounded too far away to indicate another cave in on top of them.

Her resolve faltered at hearing Shippou call out for her. Kagome quickly started grabbing at rocks and pulling them out of her away, attempting to get to the other side to help her young friend.

"Shippou! I'm coming!"

Sesshoumaru was surprised to hear two familiar voices shouting through the cave. The voice of the Kitsune gave him direction and he moved so quickly he was unseen until he reached Shippou. He stood in Shippou's path and when the kitsune reached his feet Sesshoumaru plucked him up by the back of his furred vest and held him up close to his face.

Shippou stared in shock at Sesshoumaru's familiar golden eyes. He was caught between awe, surprise, and relief that it was Sesshoumaru and not some kitsune eating youkai that had broken into the cave.

Shippou was about to say something to voice his relief but was stopped by the sound of a frantic Kagome. The telltale sound of rocks moving was evident before it morphed into the rolling rumble of many rocks sliding and then a sharp, frightened, scream from Kagome.

Sesshoumaru acted quickly. He unsheathed Bakusaiga, the fang from his own body, and let loose its energies. The stones were disintegrated as they fell and the daiyoukai leapt forward to shield Kagome from the falling dust and gravel that was left. When he reached her he sheathed the weapon, stopping the energies from the sword from disintegrating the entire mountain, and he pulled his red and white haori from his shirt and pulled it over Kagome and Shippou's heads to further protect them from the falling gravel.

Quicker than either Kagome or Shippou could see they were moved out of the long, dark tunnels of the mining cave and back out into the sunlight on the human side of the mountain.

When they stopped and Sesshoumaru released Kagome she stumbled back. Her heart was beating as if she were a hummingbird having a heart attack. She gasped for air and looked around for a moment, taking in that fact that she was outside and not under a ton of rubble. In a moment she realized Sesshoumaru stood before her.

Kagome tried to think of something to say but her mind was still addled and all she managed was a breathless, "Thank you."

Sesshoumaru nodded in return.

Then Kagome's eyes widened and she bolted… or, tried to. Sesshoumaru caught her arm before she got too far. She tried to pull away from him to get back into the cave, "Those youkai! That little boy!" She yelled, "I have to go back, they could have been buried!"

Sesshoumaru held her fast and shook his head. "They are no more injured than they were before. I stopped the rubble from hitting you, and I did the same for them," he said evenly.

Kagome stopped and turned to him, a dumbfounded look on her face. She quickly closed her mouth and then smiled at him, "Thank you, again." She looked down then, noticing Shippou still clinging to her shirt.

"Are you alright?"

Tiny claws clung to her like a cat and she saw his red head bob. "Yea."

"You sure?"

He nodded again, "Mmhmm."

"Okay."

He was silent.

"Did you want to go down?"

He nodded shakily, "Yea."

Kagome was silent, waiting, and trying to hold back the urge to giggle in spite of the dire situation around them.

After a moment Shippou slowly climbed down and carefully stood for a moment, taking a deep breath and regaining his equilibrium. He was a brave little kitsune, but moving at speeds Sesshoumaru was capable of was sort of what those rollercoaster things from the future Kagome told him about sounded like. Inuyasha could move fast, but he couldn't move from mountain side to mountain side, through a winding tunnel, while disintegrating and/or dodging rubble, before anyone had time to scream, fast.

Another deep breath and Shippou squared his shoulders, "I'm okay…" Shippou then turned to Sesshoumaru and stared up at him, he struck up as much bravado as he could managed to say a strong, "Thank you from me too, Sesshoumaru-sama." To the daiyoukai he was still a little fearful of.

Sesshoumaru simply nodded in return.

"I have to go help the villagers and make sure the youkai are taken care of too," Kagome broke the moment of silence. Then she swept away. Shippou followed and helped to tend to small wounds on villagers and calmed the young youkai-child from the mine. They found out the boy's name was Satu.

As the sun was setting Kagome finally stopped to take a rest. All of the injured villagers and youkai were at least bandaged and Kagome had healed as many as she was able to with the energy she had, she would need to rest before she helped more. Everyone was moved inside huts for the night and all was well. Only when her work was done did she finally walk back to where Sesshoumaru sat, away from the commotion, to speak with him.

Standing in front of him she fidgeted a little, knowing she was dirty with mountain dust and probably sweaty as well. "I wanted to thank you again, for being there…"

He nodded.

"I never did get to ask what exactly you were doing here." She intoned a little hesitantly.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. "Totosai needed materials from the youkai mine and I was here to retrieve them. I suppose I will have to wait some time now."

"Oh," Kagome whispered. She looked at him again, her gaze landing on the intricately embroidered pattern on his new haori. "Your beautiful clothes, they're all…," she trailed off for a moment, "I was going to bathe in the stream. I could take them with and wash them for you. They're covered in dust."

Sesshoumaru's lips quirked in a smile. "It is nothing." He said, just before his body shook back and forth. The motion was quick but rhythmic and the fast motion shook the dirty from Sesshoumaru's hair and clothes. All the dirt immediately separated from the smooth fibers of the cloth. The dust hung in the air for a moment before falling to the ground and leaving an immaculate Sesshoumaru in their stead.

Kagome looked at him in awe. "Wow… I wish I could do that." Her question of _how_ was unspoken and Sesshoumaru answered.

"It is a property of the fur the clothing is made from." His lips evened into a warm smile and he picked up a lock of her sullied hair. "I believe you on the other hand will have to wash."

Kagome blushed and her own hands over the lock of hair, covering her fingers in sooty dust. "Yes, I guess I will." She mumbled before saying she would see him back at the village and headed off to take her bath.

While she walked to the stream Kagome couldn't help but think jealous thoughts about pretty youkai furs and wish she had the same as her daiyoukai friend.

Once washed and relaxed Kagome felt her fatigue finally settle in. She walked to the room offered to her for the night in the village headman's house and sat down on her futon. She didn't see the figure standing out on the veranda as she wearily lied down and closed her eyes. When the red and white haori was layed over her like a blanket she instinctively pulled her feet up, hiding them from the chill night air under the thick fabric.

Sleepily she asked her late night visitor, "What will you do when you get the materials for Totosai?"

Sesshoumaru's smooth baritone answered her, "We can speak in the morning, rest now."

A/N: Hey everyone. I just wanna say a quick sorry for my long absence. I posted on my profile some reasons why I've been absent lately. School has been going well, I have straight A's to show for my absence J. I want to thank the readers who are still with me after being gone so long and I hope I can make more frequent updates in the coming months. I'd also like to say I have no intention of abandoning any of my stories, they will all get finished and I'll start more but it may take a while.

Thanks again everyone and I'm already getting started on writing the next chapter for you. So, wish me luck J

Many thanks and hugs, MontiK


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